Secure World Foundation: To ODC or not to ODC: Insight for May 2026

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By Alex Shi, Senior Program Analyst and Ian Christensen, Senior Director Private Sector Programs

In the first half of 2026, interest and activity around Orbital Data Centers (ODCs),on-orbit satellite constellations of varying size and design intended to harness solar power in space to meet the anticipated demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and other compute-intensive applications, have moved rapidly from the margins to a key trend in space development.  SpaceX. Blue Origin. Axiom Space.  Starcloud.  Google & Planet.  Beijing Orbital Twilight Technology.  Nvidia.  Announcements of interest and plans in ODCs come seemingly on an ever-increasing cadence.<br>‍Interest and Plans for Orbital Data Centers<br>‍Table: Known Plans for Orbital Data Centers1

Table: Known Plans for Orbital Data Centers1

Company<br>Country of Origin<br>Planned Size<br>Planned Orbits

SpaceX<br>US<br>1 million<br>500-2,000 km; 30-degree and sun-synchronous inclinations

Starcloud<br>US<br>88,000<br>600-850 km; dawn-dusk sun-synchronous orbits (SSO)

Blue Origin (Project Sunrise)<br>US<br>51,600<br>500-1,800 km; SSO

Cowboy Space (Stampede)<br>US<br>20,000<br>700-1,000 km; dawn-dusk SSO

Google + Planet (Project Suncatcher)2<br>US<br>81<br>~650 km; dawn-dusk SSO

ADA Space + Zhejiang Lab (Three-Body Compute Constellation)<br>China<br>2,800<br>500-1,000 km; low inclination, dawn-dusk SSO

Beijing Orbital Twilight Technology<br>China<br>16<br>700-800 km; dawn-dusk SSO

TakeMe2Space<br>India<br>Low Earth orbit (LEO)

Space Compass<br>Japan<br>3+<br>Geostationary orbit (GEO)

1 Several other US companies such as Axiom Space + Kepler, Sophia Space, and Orbital have also unveiled plans to deploy ODCs, although details on planned size and orbits are not yet available.<br>2 Numbers based on the reference design explored in a preprint paper. Actual plans may differ.<br>Some of these plans have (at least theoretically) access to large amounts of capital. SpaceX’s proposed ODC constellation is a key element of the company’s recent initial public offering (IPO) filing. Starcloud raised $170m in its series A, achieving a $1.1B valuation. China’s Beijing Orbital Twilight Technology reportedly has access to $8.4B in credit lines. Yet despite this interest and activity, significant questions remain about technical achievability (in particular around heat dissipation), economic and business viability, and other factors (including launch capacity).  ODCs also raise novel questions around space operations, safety, and sustainability, potentially representing a trend more significant than the emergence of very large constellations (e.g. Starlink, Amazon Leo, OneWeb, Spacesail) as a driver of change.<br>Since January 2026, a number of US-based prospective ODC operators have filed for regulatory approval to develop and deploy their systems with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). These include SpaceX’s plan for a 1 million-satellite ODC constellation (the first actual mega-constellation); StarCloud’s plan for an 88,000-satellite ODC constellation, Blue Origin’s plan for an ODC constellation of up to 51,600 satellites, and Cowboy Space’s plan for a 20,000-satellite constellation. While these filings do not have a great deal of technical detail on the design and operation of the constellations, they share several key aspects, including the use of optical intersatellite links and transmission to existing communications constellations (e.g. Starlink and the planned TeraWave constellation) as the primary data transmission method, rather than traditional RF spectrum; and the expectation of large solar arrays. Companies seek to begin deployment of these constellations as soon as 2027. In their filings the companies generally seek waivers from FCC requirements around spectrum coordination, request expedited processing, and provide information necessary to satisfy existing space-debris mitigation and post-mission disposal requirements. In general, the argument is made that, in the words of Blue Origin, ODCs are “integral to economic competitiveness, technological innovation, and broad societal benefit."<br>‍Space Safety and Sustainability Issues Raised by ODCs<br>Secure World Foundation filed public comments in response to each of the SpaceX, Starcloud , and Blue Origin ODC filings. In these comments, while we generally recognize the importance of commercial innovation in advancing space capabilities and the resultant benefits, we also argue for taking a cautious approach in the authorization of these new constellations. The current wave of ODC applications represents a qualitative shift in the scale of proposed satellite constellation operations. It is not an incremental expansion of existing LEO operations and licensing practice, but rather it raises novel technical, environmental, and governance considerations. As of May 2026, there are over 15,000 active satellites in orbit; any single ODC application now before the Commission would, if fully deployed,...