A U.S. startup has revealed plans to send Bitcoin mining hardware into orbit later this year, positioning itself as the first company to test production of block creation in space. Starcloud CEO Philip Johnston shared the details during an interview on the HyperChange YouTube channel, noting that the company is primarily building orbital data centers but will include BTC mining machines in upcoming missions.
GPU in Space Paves the Way for Mining
Starcloud previously ran an Nvidia H100 GPU successfully in orbit, proving high-performance computing can operate outside Earth. That success led the company to believe Bitcoin mining could also function in space data centers. Johnston wrote on X that “the cat is out of the bag,” claiming Starcloud aims to become the first firm to conduct block creation directly from space.
Why Space Mining?
Bitcoin mining consumes enormous electricity — roughly 20 gigawatts globally, per industry estimates. Satellites in orbit can access near-constant solar power, offering a cleaner and potentially cheaper energy source. Additionally, ASIC miners cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, far cheaper than enterprise AI GPUs (e.g., Nvidia H100 priced above $30,000), making them a low-risk test for space computing infrastructure.
Major technical challenges remain: no air in space to dissipate heat, requiring large radiators; cosmic ray radiation can damage electronics; and network latency may cause space miners to receive blockchain updates slower than Earth-based competitors.
Bitcoin Price and Mining Landscape
At press time, Bitcoin trades near $67,439, down 4.7% monthly and 21.65% yearly. Despite price weakness, network hash rate sits near all-time highs at about 1 ZH/s (978–1,029 EH/s), indicating growing network security. However, profitability has been squeezed since the 2024 halving cut block rewards to 3.125 BTC. Large miners like Marathon Digital, Riot Platforms, and Iris Energy control a major share of hashing power; the U.S. leads globally with 37–40% of total hash rate, followed by Russia.
For now, Starcloud's project is experimental. If successful, space-based Bitcoin mining could open a new frontier powered by solar energy beyond Earth.