Building data centers in space is an intriguing idea on paper, but major engineering challenges must be solved

A data center could get more solar power and be kept much colder in space, but it would be extremely difficult to repair and update.

By: Sven Bilén, Penn State and Wangda Zuo, Penn State, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 16, 2026

Words: 1,543

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

Body Text Preview

By Sven Bilén, Penn State and Wangda Zuo, Penn State

Imagine if one company could become the railroad, electric utility and cloud-computing provider of the emerging space economy. That potential fueled excitement around the long-anticipated initial public offering of SpaceX. Investors are not simply betting on rockets anymore. They are betting on an entire orbital ecosystem.

Among the most ambitious and challenging ideas riding this wave of enthusiasm is something that sounds almost like …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

About

FAQ

Email Us