Molly O’Shea(@MollySOShea):Starcloud CEO Philip Johnston (@PhilipJohnston) on the #1 factor that decides whether data centers in space work: “The whole thing is actually contingent on the launch cost.” “If the launch cost gets below around $500/kilo, then it will be much cheaper to do this in space than terrestrially.” “In space, we don’t need permitted land, so your biggest cost is gone. We don’t need batteries & backup power because we’re 24/7 in the sun. And then we need 8x less solar cells because 1 square meter of solar panel in space produces about 8x the energy.”

2026.10.31 18:44

Starcloud CEO Philip Johnston (@PhilipJohnston) on the #1# factor that decides whether data centers in space work: “The whole thing is actually contingent on the launch cost.” “If the launch cost gets below around $500/kilo, then it will be much cheaper to do this in space than terrestrially.” “In space, we don’t need permitted land, so your biggest cost is gone. We don’t need batteries & backup power because we’re 24/7 in the sun. And then we need 8x less solar cells because 1 square meter of solar panel in space produces about 8x the energy.”