(Credit: Starlink)
The gigabit laser technology on SpaceX’s Starlink satellites will be part of an upcoming orbital data center from the startup Starcloud.
Starcloud is integrating the “Mini Lasers” on more than 25 orbiting satellites, giving them a way to easily transmit data back to Earth by communicating with SpaceX’s neighboring Starlink constellation. “Each of the Starcloud satellites will carry two Starlink Mini Laser terminals, and the first hardware is expected on orbit within one year,” the startup said.
CEO Phillip Johnston added: “The terminals enable direct optical links between Starcloud satellites and the Starlink constellation using laser light, eliminating the need for Starcloud to send data directly through bandwidth-constrained ground stations.”
(Credit: Starcloud)The deal highlights a novel way for Starlink to go beyond supplying high-speed internet to users on the ground and expand to other satellites and spacecraft in orbit. Since at least 2021, SpaceX has used optical lasers to transmit up to 200Gbps of data between Starlink satellites, enabling them to send and receive information without communicating with ground stations.
Last year, SpaceX mentioned opening up the laser tech to third-party companies through a mini laser system that can transmit up to 25Gbps over distances of up to 4,000 kilometers. Starcloud, which successfully launched and operated a prototype satellite last year, has previously hinted it would adopt the technology. The startup has now made things official, saying, “For Starcloud, the optical laser mesh is the connective tissue of its orbital data center architecture.”
The company is working to operate a satellite cluster in 2027, with plans to launch as many as 88,000 satellites over the long term. SpaceX is also preparing to dive into the orbital data center market with next-generation satellites that’ll be even longer than the International Space Station. The company wants to operate up to 1 million satellites in and around Earth, although the concept faces major technical hurdles. The big question is whether orbiting data centers can one day outperform ground-based data centers in terms of cost and power efficiency.
Starcloud is signing up to use the laser tech after Muon Space, a Silicon Valley startup developing satellites for climate monitoring, began adopting the mini lasers in October. Another client is US aerospace company Vast, which will integrate the lasers on its upcoming space station. SpaceX also envisions using Starlink for connectivity on the Moon and Mars.