Orbital Data Centres in Space Sound Absurd but SpaceX Is Serious About Building Them

Ars Technica explores whether replicating warehouse-scale computing infrastructure in orbit could ever make economic sense

edit

By LineZotpaper

Published24 March 2026

Read Time2 min

What if you could run AWS-scale data centres in orbit? That's the question Ars Technica tackles in the first part of a deep dive into orbital computing infrastructure. SpaceX is looking to build data centres in space that would replicate the sprawling warehouse-sized facilities currently operated by Amazon Web Services, Google and other major cloud providers.

On the ground, large-scale data centres are massive facilities filled with racks of servers and storage, redundant power connections, generators, battery banks and enormous cooling systems. An orbital data centre would need to replicate all of this in space.

The proposition sounds absurd on its face, but several factors make it less crazy than it appears. Space offers effectively unlimited cooling via radiative heat dissipation. Solar power is abundant and consistent above the atmosphere. And with the cost of launching mass to orbit falling dramatically thanks to SpaceX's reusable rockets, the economics are shifting.

The timing is notable given the recent drone strikes on AWS Middle East facilities, which demonstrated a vulnerability in ground-based infrastructure that orbital systems would not share.

Analysis

Why This Matters

If orbital data centres become viable, they would fundamentally change the geography of cloud computing and eliminate the vulnerability to terrestrial threats that recent events have highlighted.

Background

Data centre construction is booming globally, driven by AI workloads. But finding suitable locations with sufficient power, cooling and network connectivity is increasingly difficult.

Key Perspectives

The economics remain challenging. Launch costs have fallen but are still significant. Maintenance and repair in orbit present unique challenges that ground-based facilities don't face.

What to Watch

SpaceX's concrete plans and timelines. Whether the Middle East infrastructure attacks accelerate investor interest in orbital alternatives.

Sources

Orbital data centers part 1: Is this economically viable?