StarCloud launched a spacecraft last year carrying an NVIDIA H100 GPU into low Earth orbit, and company executives now say they plan to put an ASIC Bitcoin miner on board a second spacecraft later this year in a follow-up mission. This move turns the orbital demo into an explicit test of whether cryptocurrency work can be performed at scale in space.
Bitcoin in Space: Operating and Launch Costs
The company claims that operating its mining machines above the atmosphere will reduce energy and cooling costs, the report said. Solar panels provide steady power during certain orbits, and a vacuum allows the satellite to dissipate heat without the need for large air conditioning systems.
These are the highlights of StarCloud’s savings effects. But getting a machine into orbit and keeping it there comes at a price. Launch costs, protective shields, and large radiators add mass and cost. Replacing the hardware will be more difficult than replacing a rack in Texas.
The company has started pitching its orbital data center for AI workloads as well as cryptocurrencies. Reports indicate that Starcloud’s long-term plans are for a collection of computing platforms that can host commercial clients.
The cat came out of the bag. @Starcloud_-2 will be the first in the universe to mine ππΆππ°πΌπΆπ».
This will become a huge industry in itself. Bitcoin mining currently consumes approximately 20 GW of electricity continuously. It makes no sense to do this on Earth, and in the final state all this… pic.twitter.com/tmfr8rxGOL
β Philip Johnston (@PhilipJohnston) March 7, 2026
StarCloud CEO Philip Johnston announced on Saturday that the company aims to become the first company to mine Bitcoin in space, following a discussion of space mining plans at HyperChange on Thursday (video below).
For now, testing remains narrow. Place the miner in orbit, check if it works, and measure the operating time and energy calculation. Officials said the test was intended to provide concrete numbers, not slogans.
Space hardware is another job
The NVIDIA-backed publicity and high-profile GPU flight has garnered attention, but civilian engineers and space systems experts have pointed to several technical limitations. Electronic devices are constantly exposed to radiation. Memory and silicon degrade faster without strong shielding.
Heat has to be rejected through the radiator, which increases surface area and mass. According to the report, ASICs optimized for Earth cooling cannot simply be transplanted to space and are expected to last for several years.
BTCUSD trading at $67,601 on the 24-hour chart: TradingView
Data shows that onshore mining benefits from cheap local power, proximity to maintenance teams, and already well-understood economies of scale. Having the same miner in orbit can easily eliminate access for repairs.
If the board fails, replacing it may require another rocket launch. This risk is factored into lifetime cost and investment return calculations.
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