8 Futuristic Companies Building Data Centres in Space

Not long ago, the idea of data centres orbiting Earth sounded like pure science fiction. But in 2025, that fantasy has started to turn real. As AI systems demand more power and Earth struggles with energy and cooling limits, a new wave of companies is looking to space for answers. 

From giant computing stations circling the planet to solar-powered systems that run nonstop and even backup servers on the Moon, the race to build data centres in space is taking off fast.

Here’s a look at the top companies building data centres in space.

Starcloud 

Starcloud, formerly known as Lumen Orbit, is a startup headquartered in Redmond, Washington, that is building the next generation of data centres in orbit. The company is preparing to launch the first-ever AI-equipped data centre into orbit this November. The mission will mark the NVIDIA H100 GPU’s debut in space—and, possibly, the start of a new era where AI literally runs above our heads.

Their vision is to use the advantages of space, such as constant sunlight, natural cooling and the absence of Earth-based permits, to build large computing systems for AI and other heavy data tasks.

Axiom Space

Axiom Space, a Houston-based commercial space infrastructure company, is also venturing into the orbital data centre market. Their Orbital Data Centre programme will deploy data-processing nodes in low Earth orbit, offering services not only to terrestrial customers but also to space-based users. 

Axiom has partnered with companies like Kepler Communications and Skyloom Global to provide optical inter-satellite links that allow high data-rate communications to and from the orbital data centre. Moreover, one pilot project, the Axiom Data Center Unit One (AxDCU-1), runs on the Red Hat Device Edge stack and is being sent to the International Space Station to demonstrate in-orbit computing and data storage.

Google Project Suncatcher 

Google has announced a research initiative known as Project Suncatcher, which explores placing AI data-centres in space to harness the near-constant solar energy available in low Earth orbit or sun-synchronous orbit.

The plan involves satellites equipped with custom tensor processing units, linked via high-throughput free-space optical communications, forming a distributed compute cluster above Earth. 

Google says solar panels in orbit can generate far more power than those on the ground, while also reducing cooling needs and environmental impact. Although still in the research stage, with prototype launches planned around 2027, Project Suncatcher reflects Google’s growing belief that the future of large-scale, sustainable AI computing lies beyond Earth.

Lonestar Data Holdings

Lonestar Data Holdings is a Florida-based startup with a bold ambition to deploy data-centre infrastructure on the lunar surface and in cislunar orbit. Their Freedom data centre payload focuses on disaster recovery, long-term data storage and secure national backups, instead of ultra-fast computing. 

The idea comes from the fact that data centres on Earth face risks like natural disasters, political instability and limited resources. By building infrastructure on the Moon, Lonestar hopes to offer a safer and more reliable place to store critical data.

Sophia Space

Sophia Space is a relatively new startup, based in Seattle, focused on orbital compute modules and edge data centres in space. Their core product is a modular TILE architecture designed to process data in orbit—for satellites, defence and commercial users—and then relay indigenised results to Earth. 

The startup raised $3.5 million pre-seed round in 2025 to develop its space-native compute platform, sourcing solar power, passive thermal management and radiation-hardened hardware to deliver compute closer to the data source.

Madari Space

Madari Space is a UAE-based venture that has announced a pilot programme to deploy data centres in orbit by 2026, targeting governments, enterprises and space operators in the Middle East region. Their announcements emphasise the global interest in off-Earth compute infrastructure, beyond the traditional US/Europe start-ups. 

Madari aims to serve national security, communications and enterprise clients with orbital compute or storage modules leveraging solar power and space cooling. 

SpaceX 

SpaceX, while primarily known as a launch and satellite/space-transport company, is a key enabler for the entire ecosystem of data centres in space. Its launch vehicles—Falcon 9 and Starship—reduce access cost to orbit and enable deployment of compute or hardware modules in space, which many of the companies above rely upon.

Elon Musk said the company could transform its Starlink satellites into fully fledged data centres in orbit, bringing computing power closer to the stars. He revealed that SpaceX’s next-generation Starlink V3 satellites could be scaled up to form the backbone of orbital computing systems. 

Built for gigabit internet speeds, they use laser-based inter-satellite links to transfer data directly across orbit, with no need for ground relays. Each satellite is larger, smarter and more powerful, creating a mesh of high-performance nodes circling the planet.

They’ll hitch a ride aboard Starship, SpaceX’s still-in-development super-heavy rocket, which is expected to deploy dozens of V3 satellites in a single launch. If timelines hold, the first batch could be in orbit by early 2026.

TakeMe2Space

Hyderabad-based TakeMe2Space is building what it calls the world’s first open low Earth orbit satellite infrastructure to make space computing accessible to everyone, not just deep-pocketed institutions.

The company’s Indian-built satellites act as miniature computers in orbit, offering an open, AI platform for developers and researchers to run real-time applications directly in space. By using proprietary radiation shielding, TakeMe2Space can integrate standard terrestrial hardware into satellites, significantly lowering costs.

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