NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wants the U.S. to move artificial intelligence data centers into Earth orbit, arguing that abundant solar power could ease terrestrial energy constraints while strengthening America’s position in the space and AI races.
Isaacman Sees Orbit Easing AI Power Crunch
"Let’s take our data centers, put them in Earth orbit, take advantage of that free fusion reactor that’s out there for us and use that to ensure we do win the … space race for sure, but the AI race, too," Isaacman said on Wednesday during an interview with Nexstar DC, as per a report by The Hill. He said orbital facilities could deliver "immense benefits" without competing for the same land and grid capacity as ground-based projects.
The pressure is growing. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates data centers could consume 11.8% of U.S. electricity by 2030, with scenarios ranging from 9.5% to 15.3%. The International Energy Agency expects global data-center electricity use to roughly double from 485 terawatt-hours in 2025 to 950 TWh by 2030.
Musk Pushes Space-Based AI Compute Ambitions
Elon Musk is even more bullish. The Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO has said "Space is the only way to scale at scale" for AI computing and said SpaceX could start flying orbital data centers next year. Isaacman previously backed Musk’s bet, saying there was "no reason to believe this will not come into existence."
SpaceX has moved beyond concept sketches. Its Starmind program describes AI1 satellites with up to 250 kilowatts of peak compute power, solar arrays and laser links to Starlink. SpaceX says a Bastrop, Texas, factory could produce thousands of AI satellites beginning as soon as late 2027, while its prospectus targets the first modular orbital AI compute shells by decade’s end.
Industry Leaders Split On Orbital Data
Other leaders in the space remain divided. Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) CEO Peter Beck calls space-based data centers "the next frontier in computing infrastructure," and his company is developing solar arrays specifically for power-hungry orbital systems.
But Amazon.com Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) AWS CEO Matt Garman has called the idea "pretty far" from reality, citing limited launch capacity and high payload costs. Reuters also reported in April that SpaceX itself warns orbital AI relies on unproven technology and may never become commercially viable.
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