Starcloud to Pioneer Bitcoin Mining in Space

Starcloud plans to launch a satellite with ASIC miners by year-end.

By the end of the year, the Nvidia-backed company Starcloud plans to launch a satellite equipped with ASIC miners, according to CEO Philip Johnston. 

The cat is out of the bag: @Starcloud_-2 will be the first to mine 𝗕𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻 in space.

This will be a massive industry in itself. Right now, bitcoin mining consumes about 20 GW of power continuously. It makes no sense to do this on Earth, and in the end state, all of this… pic.twitter.com/tmfr8rxGOL

— Philip Johnston (@PhilipJohnston) March 7, 2026

According to him, bitcoin mining with such equipment will become one of the most promising applications of space computing. ASIC devices are approximately 30 times cheaper than GPU. 

“A kilowatt of the B200 chip may cost $30,000, whereas ASICs are only about $1,000,” Johnston explained. 

He considers orbital mining to be the “business of the future,” primarily due to cost savings compared to Earth-based mining. Space offers access to infinite and free solar energy. 

“Bitcoin mining continuously consumes about 20 GW of energy. Doing this on Earth is pointless — sooner or later, all of this should move to orbit,” emphasized the CEO of Starcloud. 

The project, specializing in the creation of space data centers, emerged in 2024. In November 2025, it sent the Starcloud-1 satellite with Nvidia H100 into orbit for the first time. 

Thanks @YCombinator for documenting @Starcloud_Inc1’s journey to launching the first @Nvidia H100 in space 🙏 Check it out below! 🎥🤓 https://t.co/aEtDRrblrF

— Starcloud (@Starcloud_) November 13, 2025

In early February 2026, the company submitted an application to the FCC to deploy 88,000 solar-powered satellites for orbital data centers. Part of this equipment will be used for cryptocurrency mining. 

However, the implementation of these plans directly depends on SpaceX and the launch of the heavy-lift Starship rocket, which is expected in March. 

Another startup exploring bitcoin mining in space is Intercosmic Energy. 

According to its website, the project’s mission is to launch satellites that will serve as a decentralized issuance center for the first cryptocurrency. As of writing, Intercosmic Energy has yet to implement any plans. 

In late January, Alibaba Cloud launched the AI model Qwen-3 into space.