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by ianburrell 6 days ago
150 kW is tiny, that is a single rack. Would have to launch a huge number of them to match the GW data centers being built. There is also a lot of overhead for each one.

If Starlink didn't exist, then it could make sense to put edge data centers in orbit. But Starlink means can put edge computing everywhere on the ground.
2 comments
asadotzler 5 days ago
In 2025, SpaceX put 3,200 Starlink satellites into orbit with 122 Falcon 9 launches. That's about 2,000 tonnes. In about 2 more years, as the Starlink constellation reaches its licensed size limit, it should transition from growth mode to maintenance mode, freeing up over 1,000 tonnes of extremely reliable launch capacity.

What could that 1,000 tonnes per year get your in terms of sell-able data center capacity, and how does that compare to terrestrial build-out time frames?

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ac29 5 days ago
According the the X post, each 150kW satellite is a bit over 2 tons, so a full year of launches would get you 75MW. Thats not much when AI datacenters are GW-class.
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skybrian 6 days ago
Would it make any sense for it to orbit next to a Starlink satellite?
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