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An illustration of the up to 100,000 space-based data centers Orbital has proposed to help meet growing AI demand on Earth. Credit: Orbital |
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A report published by the independent think tank, the European Space Policy Institute, warns that Europe is at risk of falling behind on orbital computing infrastructure and ultimately growing dependent on services from the United States, China or both.
“While European actors continue to weigh the development of orbital data centers (ODCs), Chinese institutions and companies are already moving towards implementation,” the report said.
That, coupled with the American private sector's full-steam-ahead approach to orbital data centers will likely outpace Europe's current emphasis on research and smaller-scale technology demonstrations, according to the report.
ESPI called on the European Union to recognize ODCs as an emerging pillar of technological sovereignty and coordinate policy, investment and regulation around their development.
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During a July 29 panel discussion organized by the Secure World Foundation, government and industry officials said plans to deploy constellations of tens of thousands to a million satellites require coordination on how those systems can safely coexist in low Earth orbit.
Right now, the government is moving forward with a voluntary certification system, called the Space Commerce Certification, meant to ensure compliance with the Outer Space Treaty. That may not be sufficient to coordinate myriad constellations of data centers that are moving towards deployment, said Matias Cava, national space policy lead in the Office of Space Commerce.
"I would encourage operators to not wait for government action to develop and abide by best practices and think about how they would want their competitors to act in space."
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Other developments
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Xona Space Systems has received conditional federal approval to broadcast commercial navigation signals from a planned constellation of more than 250 satellites, clearing a major regulatory obstacle as the startup prepares to begin deploying the network, the company said Aug. 3. The first commercial users are expected to be customers that need precise timing rather than continuous navigation, including data center operators.
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The U.S. Space Force awarded K2 Space a $22.9 million contract to test laser terminals designed to transmit data directly between satellites in orbit. That capability is becoming more important as the Pentagon develops networks of sensors distributed across low, medium and higher Earth orbits. Those satellites must be able to pass missile-warning, tracking and targeting data quickly among spacecraft, ground systems and military users.
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