# ASCEND study (Thales Alenia Space-led): orbital data center program

> France (Europe), consortium. Stage 2 of 7: Funded study. EU Horizon Europe feasibility study (EUR 2.05M, 2023 to 2024) published results on 2024-06-27; no funded follow-on or demo mission found.

- Canonical page: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers/ascend-thales-alenia
- This Markdown version: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers/ascend-thales-alenia.md
- Data as of: 2026-10-05 (last evidence review)
- How the numbers are made: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers#method

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## Stage evidence

- EU Horizon Europe feasibility study (EUR 2.05M, 2023 to 2024) published results on 2024-06-27; no funded follow-on or demo mission found. Sources: [EU CORDIS](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101082517); [Thales Alenia Space](https://www.thalesaleniaspace.com/en/press-releases/thales-alenia-space-reveals-results-ascend-feasibility-study-space-data-centers-0)

## Key figures

- EU study contribution: 2,047,882 EUR. Sources: [EU CORDIS](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101082517)
- 2036 goal (project manager, reported): 10 MW (13 blocks) (company claim). Sources: [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/27/europe-wants-to-deploy-data-centers-into-space-study-says.html)
- 2050 goal: 1 GW (company claim). Sources: [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/27/europe-wants-to-deploy-data-centers-into-space-study-says.html); [SatellitePro ME](https://satelliteprome.com/news/thales-reveals-results-of-ascend-feasibility-study-on-space-data-centres/)

## Approach

- Orbit: Sun-synchronous orbit around 1,400 km (study concept)
- Architecture: Modular space data center building blocks assembled robotically in orbit, linked to the ground by optical links
- Power: About 10 MW per station in the study; 1 GW aggregate by 2050 (goal)
- Cooling: Radiative
- Compute: Not specified (cloud partners Orange, CloudFerro, HPE)
- Customers: European cloud and data sovereignty market

## Milestones

| Date | Status | Confidence | Milestone | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2023-01-01 | achieved | Confirmed | ASCEND project starts (CORDIS 101082517); ends 2024-04-30. Consortium: Thales Alenia Space (coordinator), Carbone 4, VITO, Orange Business, CloudFerro, HPE Belgium, ArianeGroup, DLR, Airbus Defence and Space. | [EU CORDIS](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101082517) |
| 2024-06-27 | achieved | Confirmed | Results: feasible if a launcher about 10x less emissive over its life cycle is developed | [Thales Alenia Space](https://www.thalesaleniaspace.com/en/press-releases/thales-alenia-space-reveals-results-ascend-feasibility-study-space-data-centers-0) |

## Announced next steps (as the organisation stated them)

- undated: Continue the feasibility study to consolidate results. Sources: [Thales Alenia Space](https://www.thalesaleniaspace.com/en/press-releases/thales-alenia-space-reveals-results-ascend-feasibility-study-space-data-centers-0)
- 2036 (project manager, as reported): 13 building blocks totalling 10 MW. Sources: [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/27/europe-wants-to-deploy-data-centers-into-space-study-says.html)
- 2050: 1,300 building blocks, 1 GW. Sources: [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/27/europe-wants-to-deploy-data-centers-into-space-study-says.html)

## What to watch (SpaceNexus note, not a prediction)

Whether a funded follow-on phase or demo mission is announced.

## Funding

- 1 Jan 2023: EU Horizon Europe contribution (study), EUR 2M. not converted to USD. Sources: [EU CORDIS](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101082517)

## Cautions

- Airbus Defence and Space and HPE appear here as consortium members; neither has a standalone ODC program.

## People

- Christophe Valorge (CTO, Thales Alenia Space)
- Damien Dumestier (ASCEND project manager)

## Sources

- [EU CORDIS](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101082517)
- [Thales Alenia Space](https://www.thalesaleniaspace.com/en/press-releases/thales-alenia-space-reveals-results-ascend-feasibility-study-space-data-centers-0)
- [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/27/europe-wants-to-deploy-data-centers-into-space-study-says.html)
- [SatellitePro ME](https://satelliteprome.com/news/thales-reveals-results-of-ascend-feasibility-study-on-space-data-centres/)

## Licence and credits

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