Big tech · United States · statement of intent
OpenAI has no orbital compute program and its CEO has said it is focused on building on Earth. It has announced no dated next step.
Stage 1 of 7: Concept
OpenAI has no orbital compute program and its CEO has said it is focused on building on Earth.[1]
What the stage means: Plans, filings or designs with no ODC hardware built or flown.
DoneReported
Altman reportedly explored a large investment in Stoke Space for space data centers
Talks reported as no longer active.
Source: GeekWire
DoneReported
Altman: orbital data centers "ridiculous" in the current landscape
Reported by Gizmodo and Techzine; will not matter at scale this decade.
DoneReported
Altman: focused on building on Earth for now
CNBC, Stargate Michigan event.
Source: CNBC
Targets as the organisation stated them. When a date moved, every move is listed with its source; a narrower window is shown as a narrowing.
No dated next step has been announced.
What to watch · SpaceNexus note, not a prediction
Listed as a skeptic voice among AI labs.
Sam Altman (CEO)
| Program | Stage | Verified funding | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI (this page) | Stage 1 of 7: Concept | Not counted | None announced |
| Agnikul and NeevCloud | Stage 1 of 7: Concept | Not counted | End of 2026: Pilot launch (300 to 350 kg unit) |
| Anthropic | Stage 1 of 7: Concept | Not counted | None announced |
| Apex | Stage 1 of 7: Concept | Not counted | 2027: Sophia Space TILE demo on an Apex Nova bus |
| Atomic-6 | Stage 1 of 7: Concept | Not counted | None announced |
| Blue Origin Sunrise | Stage 1 of 7: Concept | Not counted | Q4 2027: TeraWave deployment begins (the backhaul Sunrise depends on) |
| CASC / CAST | Stage 1 of 7: Concept | Not counted | 2027: Experimental 10 kW-class computing satellite (about 1,000 kg) |
Evidence reviewed 5 Oct 2026, fact-checked against primary sources. Nothing on this page is sponsored, and no company can pay to change, reorder or preview it. Spotted an error? Report a correction. How stages and labels work.
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