Starcloud says 1 launch, $8M but ISS tech says 17 launches, $850M+

Summary

Abstract Starcloud have claimed that a single 100-ton Starship launch could suffice to create a 40 MW space data centre (SDC) for $8.2 M. My analysis finds that this is infeasible in a single launch but requires a total of upto 22 launches. The SDC’s solar arrays require 4 launches determined by examining existing solar arrays on the ISS. Similarly, the ISS’s radiator benchmarks indicate that 13 launches would be needed for the SDC’s thermal management system. The server racks would require an addition 5 launches. I have not analysed the effects of MMOD/radiation shielding and the impact of propellant use for in-orbit assembly on launch numbers—this requires specifications and mission architectures that have not been made public and might not yet be fully developed. On the note of launch costs, the whitepaper’s (miscalculated) assumed launch cost is $30/kg. This makes their comparative economic analysis to terrestrial data centres unmoored from reality in the near term. Some experts speculate that $1000/kg would be an optimistic launch cost, which means $100M per launch and a total cost of $103.2M In 2021 dollars, a Falcon-9 launch costs $2600/kg and a Falcon Heavy’s at $1500/kg. So, even $500/kg is also a fairly optimistic estimate. . So, even if costs drop to $500/kg, a single launch results in an overall cost of $53.2M, not the purported $8.2M. If a second launch is needed, then the worst case number is $200M making it more than their reported cost of running a terrestrial data center (TDC). Enjoying this article? Subscribe to stay updated I am also on X @angadhn and Bluesky. Introduction On Earth, data centres run on the existing electricity grid that, crudely put, use a combination of fossil fuels or terrestrial solar. Recently, technologists and entrepreneurs have talked up placing data centres in space to resolve three issues with terrestrial data centres (TDC): Data centres require tremendous amounts of energy, which is plentiful and “free” in space. There, ...