TLDR
- Starcloud launched Starcloud-1 with five Nvidia H100 GPUs in November 2025.
- Starcloud-2 is expected to carry Bitcoin mining ASICs later in 2026.
- The company says orbit offers near-constant solar power and passive cooling.
- Starcloud has sought approval for up to 88,000 orbital computing satellites.
Starcloud is preparing to test whether Bitcoin mining can work in low Earth orbit. The company says solar power and space cooling may support that goal.
The plan follows Starcloud-1, which launched in November 2025 with five Nvidia H100 GPUs. That mission tested whether data-center-grade computing could run in space.
Starcloud moves from orbital AI tests to Bitcoin mining
Starcloud is a space technology and AI infrastructure company based in Redmond. It is now extending its orbital computing work toward Bitcoin mining.
According to reports, the company launched Starcloud-1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite was about the size of a refrigerator. It carried five Nvidia H100 processors into orbit.
During that mission, Starcloud said it trained a small language model in space. It also ran inference using a version of Google Gemini. The company used those tests to show that advanced computing tasks can operate off Earth.
Now Starcloud is preparing Starcloud-2 for launch later in 2026. Chief executive Philip Johnston said the satellite will carry a larger GPU cluster. It will also include Bitcoin mining ASICs.
“There’s also bitcoin mining,” Johnston told PCMag. “We’ll have some bitcoin mining ASICs on the second spacecraft launching later this year.” He added, “We think we’ll be the first to mine a coin in space.”
Orbit offers steady solar power and direct heat rejection
Starcloud says orbit offers two conditions that may support compute systems. The first is access to sunlight for long periods. The second is the ability to reject heat into space.
Satellites in sun-synchronous orbits can receive sunlight for much of their operation. That reduces the interruptions seen on Earth from night and weather. For power-hungry hardware, that steady energy supply is central.
The company also points to cooling benefits in orbit. Spacecraft can use radiators to release waste heat directly into space. That removes the need for water-heavy cooling systems often used on Earth.
Starcloud says these conditions may cut operating energy costs sharply. The company has estimated orbital data centers could run with energy costs about ten times lower than ground facilities. It has also said lifetime carbon emissions could be reduced on a similar scale.
Bitcoin mining is being presented as an early test of that energy model. Mining hardware is cheaper than many top AI chips. It also converts available electricity directly into computation.
Big ambitions face technical and regulatory hurdles
Starcloud has outlined a larger plan beyond a single satellite mission. The company has filed paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission. It is seeking approval for a constellation of up to 88,000 satellites.
Johnston has also described a long-term aim for a 5-gigawatt orbital data center. That system would use large solar arrays stretching several kilometers. The broader goal includes AI computing and blockchain infrastructure.
Yet the project faces clear obstacles. Hardware in orbit must withstand radiation and harsh temperature changes. It must also survive launch stress and avoid damage from orbital debris. Reports said one GPU on Starcloud-1 failed before launch.
Regulators and environmental groups are also watching large satellite plans closely. Large constellations can add pressure to crowded orbital paths. They can also raise concerns about debris chains, often called Kessler syndrome.
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