Starcloud, an orbital computing startup backed by Nvidia, says it plans to start mining Bitcoin in space later this year after sending its second spacecraft into orbit. Chief executive Philip Johnston said the company wants to become the first organization to mine Bitcoin beyond Earth, positioning the effort as a practical test of whether orbital infrastructure can handle energy-intensive blockchain workloads.
The idea comes as mining companies face persistent pressure from rising electricity costs and the need to expand computing infrastructure. Starcloud argues that solar-powered orbital data centers could offer an alternative to terrestrial grids by using satellites equipped with solar arrays to generate power while circling Earth. If successful, that model could open a new path for running high-consumption computing tasks away from conventional energy systems.
Why ASIC miners may fit orbital computing better
In an interview with HyperChange, Johnston said Bitcoin mining is one of the most practical workloads for space-based computing because ASIC hardware is far cheaper and more efficient than GPUs for this specific task. According to the report, a 1-kilowatt Nvidia B200 processor costs roughly $30,000, while an ASIC miner operating at a similar power level costs about $1,000. That gap makes specialized mining machines more realistic for large-scale deployment in orbit.
Johnston also noted that the Bitcoin network currently consumes around 20 gigawatts of electricity on a continuous basis. With energy remaining one of the sector’s biggest constraints, Starcloud sees orbital solar power as a way to support mining and other compute-heavy operations without relying entirely on ground-based infrastructure.
From test missions to an orbital data center network
Founded in early 2024, Starcloud is building computing infrastructure outside Earth’s atmosphere. Its long-term ambition is far larger than a single spacecraft: the company envisions a distributed network of roughly 88,000 satellites operating as data centers in orbit. In November, it launched its first experimental spacecraft carrying an Nvidia H100 GPU, marking the first time such a high-performance processor had been operated in space and allowing engineers to study computing performance under orbital conditions.
The broader idea of connecting Bitcoin and space infrastructure has also attracted other entrepreneurs. Some have explored transmitting Bitcoin transactions between planets through satellite-linked optical communication systems. Still, researchers have said mining on Mars would be impractical because interplanetary latency would interfere with timely block confirmation.
The mining industry is also navigating volatile market conditions. The report says Bitcoin had fallen nearly 48% from its $126,080 peak recorded on Oct. 6. At the same time, mining difficulty recently dropped about 7%, from 155.9 trillion to around 145 trillion, offering temporary relief for miners. For Starcloud, the next key test will be whether its satellite launch, onboard power generation, and hardware choices can turn a bold concept into a functioning mining experiment.