Starcloud Aims to Mine Bitcoin in Space with Solar-Powered Data Centers
Startup Starcloud is planning to take Bitcoin mining into space, launching its second spacecraft, Starcloud-2, in early 2027. The company believes that abundant solar power and low energy costs could make space a more attractive location for cryptocurrency mining than Earth. CEO Philip Johnston estimates that the cost of mining hardware per kilowatt is significantly lower in space compared to on Earth.
The startup's main ambition is to build data centers in space, with Starcloud-2 designed to expand this concept into a commercial service. However, cooling remains an engineering challenge in space, as there is no air to carry heat away through convection. Radiators will be used to transfer heat from the electronics to radiate infrared radiation.
Johnston also acknowledges that ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) can become outdated faster than GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), which could reduce their profitability. Currently, miners on Earth can use sources such as flare gas to generate electricity at a cost of around two to three cents per kilowatt-hour.