Starcloud Set to Mine Bitcoin from Space with Solar-Powered Satellite Launch
Starcloud, Inc., a Washington-based startup, is taking Bitcoin mining to new heights, literally. The company plans to launch its Starcloud-2 spacecraft in 2027, which will carry ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) for mining the cryptocurrency.
The idea behind this venture is to harness the near-continuous sunlight in space to power the ASICs, significantly reducing energy costs. According to Philip Johnston, CEO of Starcloud, the cost of ASICs is about $1,000 per kilowatt, whereas high-end GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) cost around $30,000 per kW, a 30x difference.
This move is seen as both a proof-of-concept and a pragmatic business decision. When demand for AI compute is high, the orbital hardware handles those workloads. However, when demand dips, the ASICs keep hashing and generating revenue.
Starcloud has already made significant progress in space-based computing with its first test satellite, Starcloud-1, launched on November 2, 2025, which carried a single Nvidia H100 GPU. The company closed a $170 million Series A round in March 2026, achieving a valuation of $1.1 billion.