Space weather intelligence firm Mission Space has entered a strategic partnership with Starcloud, a company developing orbital data centers. The collaboration aims to integrate real-time space weather data into Starcloud's AI computing platforms in orbit, enhancing their resilience against solar storms and other space phenomena.
Key Takeaways
- Mission Space will provide real-time space weather intelligence to Starcloud's orbital data centers.
- The data will be used to optimize power and thermal management, protecting hardware during solar storms.
- Starcloud plans to launch its first demonstrator mission in 2025 and its first micro data center in 2026.
- The partnership leverages Mission Space's Zohar-I payload, which measures orbital radiation and other conditions.
A Strategic Alliance for Orbital Computing
The new agreement brings together two specialized companies to address a growing challenge for in-space infrastructure. Mission Space focuses on monitoring and predicting space weather, while Starcloud is building high-performance GPU compute clusters for deployment in low Earth orbit (LEO).
By integrating Mission Space's analytics, Starcloud aims to make its orbital data centers more robust. The system will allow for adaptive power routing and thermal management, safeguarding sensitive AI workloads and maximizing operational uptime, even during periods of intense solar activity.
"Mission Space's real-time space weather forecasting capabilities are a critical piece in our data center-in-space infrastructure," stated Philip Johnston, CEO of Starcloud. "Their input lets us actively calibrate power delivery and cooling to maintain peak workloads in any orbital environment."
The Growing Threat of Space Weather
As more critical infrastructure moves into orbit, the risks posed by space weather become more significant. Solar events like coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares can release vast amounts of radiation and charged particles that can damage or disrupt satellite electronics.
These events can cause issues ranging from temporary outages to permanent hardware failure. For high-performance computing systems like those Starcloud is developing, such disruptions could compromise complex AI calculations and data processing tasks.
Orbital Hazards
Space weather phenomena that can impact orbital assets include increased radiation levels, heightened proton flux, changes in geomagnetic activity, and fluctuations in atmospheric drag, all of which can affect satellite operations and longevity.
Proactive Protection and Data-Driven Resilience
The partnership moves beyond simply hardening hardware against radiation. It focuses on creating an intelligent, responsive system. By receiving predictive analytics from Mission Space, Starcloud's data centers can proactively adjust their operations before a solar storm hits.
This could involve rerouting power to protect vulnerable components or adjusting cooling systems to handle increased thermal loads. The goal is to maintain continuous, peak performance for AI applications that rely on the orbital platforms.
Technology Powering the Partnership
At the core of Mission Space's service is its Zohar payload. The first instrument, Zohar-I, was launched in March 2025 and is already collecting critical data from orbit. This system provides real-time measurements of the space environment.
What Zohar-I Measures
- Radiation levels
- Proton flux
- Charged particle counts
- Geomagnetic activity
- Atmospheric drag
This data feeds into Mission Space's intelligence platform, which then provides actionable forecasts to its partners. Mary Glaz, CEO of Mission Space, highlighted the synergy between the two companies.
"Starcloud's orbital data centers are an ideal platform for our space-weather-enabled resilience tools," said Glaz. "Together, we ensure compute stays online, no matter how intense solar activity becomes."
Starcloud's Roadmap for Orbital Data Centers
Starcloud is on a clear path to deploying its technology. The company is planning a demonstrator mission for 2025. This mission will feature GPUs that are reportedly 100 times more powerful than any graphics processing units previously flown in orbit, marking a significant step for in-space computing power.
Following the demonstrator, Starcloud aims to launch its first operational micro data center into low Earth orbit in 2026. This first commercial unit will be the initial platform to fully benefit from the real-time data provided by Mission Space.
Starcloud's business model is supported by prominent investors, including Y Combinator, In-Q-Tel, and NFX. The company's focus is on enabling high-performance AI applications that can benefit from being processed in space, reducing latency and data transfer needs for Earth observation and other orbital tasks.
This partnership represents a key step in building a more resilient and reliable digital infrastructure in orbit, preparing for a future where advanced computing is a standard part of the space economy.
