Lonestar Data Holdings and Thales Alenia Space are launching an exciting new initiative. They want to transform data storage and processing by creating exceptionally secure data centers in orbit and on the Moon. Clients, including the state of Florida and the government of the Isle of Man, have expressed deep interest in the companies. This growing trend highlights consumers’ increasing appetite for better data protection and more reliable processing power. Lonestar’s forward-thinking approach to facility design will maximize space’s special benefits and promises. This strategy responds directly to the increasing need for data centres.
As noted in a recent report by global management consultants McKinsey, the need for data centers is expected to increase dramatically. It’s set to increase at least 19% — as high as 22% — by 2030. That’s why Thales Alenia Space is planning to produce a constellation of 13 satellites. Combined, these satellites will be 200 meters by 80 meters and provide about 10 megawatts (MW) of processing capability. This purposely ambitious project is driven by the relentless pursuit of both current and future created customer demand. It’s part of a wider European digital transformation agenda — EU digital sovereignty explained in Thales’ Ascend report.
Lonestar has taken impressive steps in this direction already. The company completed a successful trial of a micro data centre, roughly the size of a hardback novel. They moved all of this to the Moon using the Athena Lunar Lander from Intuitive Machines. The groundbreaking trial demonstrated that in-space data centre deployment is possible. Today, Lonestar plans to send a small data centre into orbit around the Moon by 2027.
“We wouldn’t be doing this if the customers weren’t asking us to.” – Mr. Scott
Building data centres on the Moon has a number of benefits, especially in regard to security. Because data processed in space doesn’t have to go through terrestrial networks, it’s more protected from the cyber threats that come with routing through different networks. Stephen Eisele, a representative from Lonestar, emphasized this point:
“The way we see it is that by putting the data centre in space, you’re really offering unparalleled security.”
The Moon’s ideal position allows these facilities to access continuous solar power. This energy will be critical for not just fuelling long operational periods. Yet, creating these types of space-based facilities presents high barriers. It currently costs tens of thousands of dollars to send a single kilogram into space. This rapidly increasing cost puts the financial feasibility of the project in extreme importance.
Dr. Domenico Vicinanza highlighted the complexities involved in creating functional space-based data centres:
“Space-based data centres would require not only the data equipment but also the infrastructure to protect, power, and cool them. All of which add up in weight and complexity.”
Further, he emphasized the difficulties with making repairs in orbit, despite the pioneering work that had been done there in robotics and automation.
“And fixing problems in orbit is far from straightforward. Even with robotics and automation, there are limits to what can be repaired remotely,” Dr. Vicinanza added.
This shifts the burden of worrying about possible hardware failures that would result in long-term downtime for these high-value facilities. A major failure may require a very expensive human mission, which can extend time for repair from weeks to months.
“A big hardware failure might necessitate a costly human mission, potentially making downtime stretch for weeks or months.” – Dr. Vicinanza
Though these challenges remain, the rewards to governments and businesses are evident. Such space-based facilities would provide a far more secure storage solution, like a bank vault on steroids. Mr. Eisele explained:
“It’s like having the vaults at the back of the bank.”
He further emphasized that the distance from Earth provides an extra layer of protection:
“You don’t have to open it every day, but it’s there to provide an extra measure of security, and the distance from Earth to the moon offers that – it’s that much harder to hack, that much harder to access.”
Under existing space law, these electronic installations would additionally benefit from special legal protections. Chris Stott noted that such a facility would be governed by the laws of its licensing or launching state:
“Under space law, that box of electronics is literally under the law of the licensing or launching state – it is an actual embassy in space.”
Lonestar’s partnership with Thales Alenia Space is a big step in making that dream of a talented and diverse multi-planetary workforce a reality. Meanwhile, Starcloud, a startup based in Southeast Asia, is launching a satellite-based data centre next month, commercial operations expected by middle of 2026.
As this initiative moves forward, it will be important for lawmakers and other stakeholders to consider the environmental impacts of rocket launches. In order for space-based data centers to be greener than their terrestrial counterparts, we’ll require some major progress. Instead, we need to prioritize reducing emissions from rocket launchers for their entire lifecycles.
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