Can Data Centers in Space Really Help the Climate?

Green Solution or Space Junk 2.0? The Reality of Orbital Data Centers

When the Cloud Leaves the Planet

Artificial intelligence, streaming, and our always-online lives are driving an explosion in digital data.

Behind every click lies a physical reality: sprawling data centers that devour electricity, take up land, and pump carbon into the atmosphere.

As this demand grows, some companies are asking a radical question: if Earth is running out of room and clean power, why not move part of the cloud into space? Orbit, they argue, offers limitless solar energy and no need for land at all — but also an entirely new set of risks.

Space as the Next Data Frontier

According to CNN, demand for data center power is projected by Goldman Sachs to jump by about 165% by 2030.

Data centers already consume huge amounts of energy and require large areas for buildings and nearby solar or wind farms. In Europe, the ASCEND project, led by Thales Alenia Space, has explored whether space-based data centers powered by continuous solar energy could reduce CO₂ emissions compared to Earth-based facilities.

Their study concluded that, in theory, orbit could provide a more “eco-friendly and sovereign solution” for hosting and processing data — but only if major technological advances, including far cleaner rockets, become reality.

Early Experiments in Orbital Computing

As CNN reports, several companies are already testing the idea on a small scale. Madari Space, based in Abu Dhabi, plans its first mission in 2026, sending a toaster-sized payload with data storage and processing hardware into orbit as part of a UN Access to Space for All initiative.

Madari’s CEO, Shareef Al Romaithi, argues that processing data in space — especially for Earth observation satellites — could reduce delays and enable faster decisions.

Meanwhile, China has launched the first 12 satellites of a proposed 2,800-satellite space computing constellation, and US companies are following suit.

Lonestar Data Holdings has tested a tiny data center on the Moon and plans a series of storage satellites at the Earth–Moon L1 point, while Starcloud is preparing to launch a satellite with a powerful Nvidia H100 GPU, which it claims will set a record for in-orbit computing power. Some proponents, like Starcloud’s CEO Philip Johnston, even predict that in ten years “almost all new data centers” could be built in space.

Climate Solution or Orbital Headache?

According to CNN, there is deep skepticism about whether space data centers are truly practical or climate-friendly. The ASCEND study estimated that to genuinely reduce emissions compared with terrestrial centers, launch vehicles would need to emit ten times less carbon over their lifecycle than current rockets.

Critics like Quentin A. Parker of the University of Hong Kong argue that, when you factor in launch costs, radiation shielding, cooling in a vacuum, maintenance, and the need to protect hardware from space debris and space weather, Earth-based solutions still look far cheaper and simpler.

Parker warns that adding thousands of data satellites could worsen the existing space junk crisis and create new vulnerabilities, even as advocates claim improved resilience against natural disasters and cyberattacks on the ground.

Proponents like Al Romaithi counter that looking off-planet is necessary to avoid “technological stagnation,” but the balance between benefits and dangers remains far from settled.

What We’ve Learned

Space-based data centers sit at the intersection of climate, technology, and orbital safety. On one hand, continuous solar power and relief from land and grid constraints make orbit an attractive long-term vision.

On the other, rocket emissions, extreme costs, radiation, debris, and maintenance challenges raise serious questions about whether this is a real climate solution or just a futuristic distraction. The debate forces us to confront a hard truth: our hunger for data has planetary consequences, no matter where we put the servers.

The Price of an Infinite Cloud

Sending the cloud into space sounds like science fiction, but the pressures driving the idea are very real. As AI and digital services expand, we face a choice: either make our computing radically more efficient and sustainable on Earth, or push infrastructure into harsh, fragile orbits that we already struggle to manage.

In the end, building data centers among the stars won’t change the fact that all their impacts — from launch pollution to orbital debris — still come back to one place. However far we send our hardware, the bill for our technology will always be paid on Earth.

This article is made and published by August M, who may have used AI in the preparation