ReOrbit isn’t waiting around for the space industry to finish debating the viability of data centers in orbit.
The Finnish satellite manufacturer announced a partnership with Google Cloud yesterday to build a network of satellites to securely transport and process data on orbit—a network the partnership is calling the “Space Cloud.”
The initiative aims to be an early mover in the nascent space-based data economy—combining Google Cloud’s expertise in data management with ReOrbit’s heritage in space—to capitalize on the growing demand for orbital computing power and secure communications.
Head in the clouds: The partnership plans to build a network of satellites, each with a robust set of capabilities, including:
- Quantum key distribution tech for encrypted comms;
- Laser-based optical terminals to send data across the satellite network;
- Edge processors onboard the satellites for real-time AI processing power;
- Direct-to-device capabilities to allow data downlinks from the network directly to consumer-grade devices.
The project may sound like a mad-lib of all the latest buzzwords in next-gen space-tech. But it will build on many of the services that ReOrbit has been offering commercial and government customers for years, such as AI processing power and high-speed data transmission.
“Space Cloud reflects a long-standing vision of ReOrbit, now made possible by the convergence of technological maturity and market pull,” CEO Sethu Saveda Suvanam said in a statement.
Who’s buyin’? Space Cloud is being designed to serve the specific needs of European and NATO customers looking for data sovereignty, as well as the commercial sector.
- The Sovereign Space Cloud will focus on air-gapping and isolating national security data
- The Commercial Space Cloud will feature a marketplace for EO insights and edge computing power.
While the partnership has yet to release a date on when the service could come online, ReOrbit and Google Cloud said they would share more granular details at Google Cloud’s Next conference in April.
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Voyager Technologies and Max Space announced on Thursday that they had agreed to cooperate on expandable tech that could someday be used for both habitation and storage off-Earth.
“Expandable structures represent a step change in how surface infrastructure can be delivered and deployed,” Saleem Miyan, cofounder and CEO of Max Space, said in a statement. “Its architecture embodies increased capability, scalability, and versatility that are essential for sustained deep-space human activity, and to unleash the lunar and Martian economies.”
Meet the expandables: Max Space’s modules are designed to launch in a compact package, and expand after they’ve been deployed (think of a high-tech, vacuum-sealed pillow being ripped open, or just watch their video for a better visual of their habitat in action). The habitats can be used for anything from farming, to storage, to zero gravity sports arenas, cofounder Aaron Kemmer told us in 2024.
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