StarCloud launched a spacecraft final 12 months carrying an NVIDIA H100 GPU into low Earth orbit, and firm executives now say they plan to place an ASIC Bitcoin miner on board a second spacecraft later this 12 months in a follow-up mission. This transfer turns the orbital demo into an specific take a look at of whether or not cryptocurrency work might be carried out at scale in area.
Bitcoin in Area: Working and Launch Prices
The corporate claims that working its mining machines above the ambiance will cut back vitality and cooling prices, the report mentioned. Photo voltaic panels present regular energy throughout sure orbits, and a vacuum permits the satellite tv for pc to dissipate warmth with out the necessity for giant air con methods.
These are the highlights of StarCloud’s financial savings results. However getting a machine into orbit and protecting it there comes at a value. Launch prices, protecting shields, and huge radiators add mass and value. Changing the {hardware} goes to be tougher than changing a rack in Texas.
The corporate has began pitching its orbital knowledge middle for AI workloads in addition to cryptocurrencies. Stories point out that Starcloud’s long-term plans are for a group of computing platforms that may host industrial purchasers.
The cat got here out of the bag. @Starcloud_-2 would be the first within the universe to mine ππΆππ°πΌπΆπ».
It will grow to be an enormous trade in itself. Bitcoin mining presently consumes roughly 20 GW of electrical energy repeatedly. It is not sensible to do that on Earth, and within the remaining state all this… pic.twitter.com/tmfr8rxGOL
β Philip Johnston (@PhilipJohnston) March 7, 2026
StarCloud CEO Philip Johnston introduced on Saturday that the corporate goals to grow to be the primary firm to mine Bitcoin in area, following a dialogue of area mining plans at HyperChange on Thursday (video beneath).
For now, testing stays slim. Place the miner in orbit, verify if it really works, and measure the working time and vitality calculation. Officers mentioned the take a look at was meant to offer concrete numbers, not slogans.
Area {hardware} is one other job
The NVIDIA-backed publicity and high-profile GPU flight has garnered consideration, however civilian engineers and area methods specialists have pointed to a number of technical limitations. Digital units are continually uncovered to radiation. Reminiscence and silicon degrade sooner with out sturdy shielding.
Warmth must be rejected by the radiator, which will increase floor space and mass. In accordance with the report, ASICs optimized for Earth cooling can not merely be transplanted to area and are anticipated to final for a number of years.
BTCUSD buying and selling at $67,601 on the 24-hour chart: TradingView
Knowledge reveals that onshore mining advantages from low cost native energy, proximity to upkeep groups, and already well-understood economies of scale. Having the identical miner in orbit can simply get rid of entry for repairs.
If the board fails, changing it could require one other rocket launch. This danger is factored into lifetime price and funding return calculations.
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