Starcloud-1 Satellite Successfully Entered Orbit with Nvidia H100 GPU Operational
Starcloud, a space data center startup, has successfully launched its first satellite, Starcloud-1. The satellite, which weighs 60kg and is roughly the size of a small refrigerator, took off on November 2nd and cleanly separated from the SpaceX rocket that delivered it into orbit. Impressively, Starcloud-1 carries the first Nvidia H100 GPU to operate in space.
Built on Astro Digital’s Corvus-Micro bus, the mission is scheduled to last 11 months before the satellite de-orbits from its 325km altitude and burns up. While Starcloud-1 mainly serves as a test platform, neocloud Crusoe plans to offer “limited” access starting in early 2027 through a partnership with Starcloud.
If the trial proves successful, Starcloud aims to construct much larger space-based data centers and has proposed a 5-gigawatt satellite powered by a four-square-kilometer solar array. According to CEO Philip Johnston, “Starcloud was founded just 21 months ago, and this satellite, hosting the first Nvidia H100 in space, will deliver advanced inference and fine-tuning capabilities for other satellites.” He also noted, “We’ve made contact with Starcloud-1; it’s operating normally, maintaining stable attitude control, tracking the ground station, and its batteries are fully charged. Everything is healthy.
Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, have expressed interest in creating data centers in space. Bezos anticipates that gigawatt-scale data centers could be operating in orbit within ten years, while Schmidt has acquired Relativity Space to further this goal. Additionally, Elon Musk revealed that SpaceX is exploring the idea of building data centers in space.