As private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin develop reusable rockets and push aspirations for lunar and Martian colonization, real estate investors are dialing in. Some liken it to the early days of the railroads, when entire towns grew up around new lines. One of the biggest plays is lunar and deep space data centers.
The growing demand for data centers, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and cloud computing, has led companies to explore space-based alternatives. These data centers, typically large, energy-intensive facilities on Earth, face vulnerability to natural disasters and high electricity consumption. Space offers promising advantages like remoteness, abundant solar energy, and natural cooling. Multiple firms, including Lonestar Data Holdings and Axiom Space, are pioneering this shift.
Lonestar Data Holdings aims to establish the first physical data center on the moon by using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and integrating the data center with Intuitive Machines’ Athena moon lander. This ambitious project is set to launch next month and is driven by cheaper rocket launches, abundant solar energy, and cost-effective cooling systems. The data center, named Freedom, will focus on disaster recovery and storage rather than latency-dependent activities, and will be powered by solar energy using naturally cooled solid-state drives. Lonestar has secured clients like the State of Florida, Isle of Man government, AI firm Valkyrie, and Imagine Dragons.
The European Commission has selected Thales Alenia Space to lead the ASCEND (Advanced Space Cloud for European Net zero emission and Data sovereignty) feasibility study for data centers in orbit, as part of Europe’s Horizon Europe research program. This study aims to explore the viability of space-based data centers and their potential to reduce the environmental footprint of data processing infrastructure.
The concept of lunar data centers is gaining traction among investors and tech firms. With advancements in rocket launches, solar energy, and cooling systems, companies are seeking out-of-the-box solutions to meet the growing data demands. Lonestar Data Holdings plans to establish the first physical data center on the moon, launching next month with a fully assembled structure carried by a SpaceX rocket. This lunar data center, named Freedom, is focused on disaster recovery and storage, and boasts clients like the State of Florida and AI firm Valkyrie.
These developments mark a significant shift in the real estate and technology sectors, as companies look beyond Earth to meet the increasing demands for data storage and processing capabilities.
