# Starcloud: orbital data center program

> United States (United States), startup. Stage 5 of 7: Own satellite flown. Starcloud-1, a 60 kg satellite carrying one NVIDIA H100, launched on 2025-11-02.

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

> For information only, not investment advice. SpaceNexus is not a registered investment adviser, broker or dealer, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Data may be delayed, estimated or incomplete; check the source before acting. Rounds come from company announcements, regulatory filings and press reports. Amounts, valuations and investors are as reported and may be incomplete or later revised. Not investment advice, and not an offer or solicitation for any security. Full text: https://spacenexus.us/disclaimer

## Stage evidence

- Starcloud-1, a 60 kg satellite carrying one NVIDIA H100, launched on 2025-11-02. Sources: [Gunter's Space Page](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/starcloud-1.htm)

## Key figures

- Starcloud-1 mass: 60 kg. Sources: [Gunter's Space Page](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/starcloud-1.htm)
- GPUs on Starcloud-1: 1 NVIDIA H100. Sources: [Gunter's Space Page](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/starcloud-1.htm)
- Starcloud-2 power per satellite (planned): 8 kW (company claim). Sources: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/starcloud-raises-200-million-for-orbital-data-centers-as-launch-options-dry-up/)
- Starcloud-3 power (planned): 200 kW (company claim). Sources: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/30/starcloud-raises-170-million-series-ato-build-data-centers-in-space)
- FCC filing, maximum satellites: 88,000 satellites. Sources: [SpaceNews](https://spacenews.com/starcloud-files-plans-for-88000-satellite-constellation/)
- Valuation after Series A extension: $2.3B. Sources: [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2026/08/21/starcloud-adds-250m-to-series-a-at-a-2-3b-valuation/)

## Approach

- Orbit: LEO. Starcloud-1 at about 495 to 503 km, 45.4 deg (CelesTrak); Starcloud-2 sun-synchronous; FCC constellation filing in 600 to 850 km shells; SC-1L payload in lunar orbit
- Architecture: Solar-powered, radiatively cooled GPU satellites, scaling from a 60 kg demonstrator to 8 kW and then 200 kW spacecraft, linked by optical lasers
- Power: Solar. Starcloud-2: 8 kW per satellite. Starcloud-3: 200 kW (planned)
- Cooling: Radiative. Starcloud-2 carries what the company calls the largest commercial deployable radiator sent to space
- Compute: Starcloud-1: one NVIDIA H100. Starcloud-2 (planned): NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, an AWS Outposts server blade and bitcoin-mining ASICs
- Customers: Crusoe (Crusoe Cloud in orbit); Capella Space SAR inference (company claim); AWS, Google Cloud and NVIDIA named as partners

## Milestones

| Date | Status | Confidence | Milestone | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2024-03-11 | achieved | Confirmed | $2.4M pre-seed as Lumen Orbit; demonstrator promised for May 2025. The demonstrator target was restated in December 2024 and the satellite flew on 2025-11-02, about six months later. | [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/lumen-orbit-raises-2-4m-to-speed-up-downlink/); [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/11/200-vcs-wanted-to-get-into-lumen-orbits-11m-seed-round) |
| 2024-12-11 | achieved | Confirmed | $11M seed as Lumen Orbit. Seed out of Y Combinator S24; reported $40M valuation. | [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/11/200-vcs-wanted-to-get-into-lumen-orbits-11m-seed-round); [GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2025/lumen-orbit-starcloud-10m-space-data-centers/) |
| 2025-02-26 | achieved | Confirmed | $10M seed extension and rebrand to Starcloud. Total seed $21M; renamed from Lumen Orbit. | [DatacenterDynamics](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/lumen-orbit-rebrands-to-starcloud-raises-another-10m-for-in-orbit-data-centers/); [American Bazaar](https://americanbazaaronline.com/2025/02/28/nvidia-partners-with-space-data-center-startup-secures-extra-10-million460102/); [Cosmic Log](https://cosmiclog.com/2025/02/26/starcloud-raises-another-10m-for-data-centers-in-space/) |
| 2025-10-22 | achieved | Confirmed | Crusoe agrees to run Crusoe Cloud on a Starcloud satellite. At the time the satellite was scheduled for late 2026, with limited GPU capacity offered from early 2027. | [Crusoe](https://www.crusoe.ai/resources/newsroom/crusoe-to-become-first-cloud-operator-in-space-through-partnership-with-starcloud); [DatacenterDynamics](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/crusoe-to-deploy-in-starcloud-satellite-data-center-in-late-2026-offer-limited-gpu-capacity-in-space-from-2027/) |
| 2025-11-02 | achieved | Confirmed | Starcloud-1 launched with an NVIDIA H100. 60 kg satellite on an Astro Digital Corvus-Micro+ bus, launched on SpaceX Bandwagon-4 (Falcon 9). Orbit about 495 x 503 km; still in orbit as of 2026-10-03. | [Gunter's Space Page](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/starcloud-1.htm); [US SEC](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0002087446/000121390026103789/ea030673101ex99-2.htm); [CelesTrak](https://celestrak.org/satcat/records.php?CATNR=66303) |
| 2025-12 | achieved | Company claim | Gemma inference and nanoGPT training on Starcloud-1. Company says it ran Google Gemma and trained a small nanoGPT model on the works of Shakespeare; reported by CNBC on 2025-12-10. Not independently verified. | [Starcloud](https://www.starcloud.com/starcloud-1); [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/10/nvidia-backed-starcloud-trains-first-ai-model-in-space-orbital-data-centers.html) |
| 2026-02-04 | achieved | Confirmed | FCC application for up to 88,000 satellites. Distributed data center constellation with laser links; accepted for filing 2026-03-13. | [SpaceNews](https://spacenews.com/starcloud-files-plans-for-88000-satellite-constellation/); [Communications Daily](https://communicationsdaily.com/news/2026/04/17/starcloud-space-data-center-plan-sees-objections-and-criticisms-2604160014); [FCC](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-419509A1.txt) |
| 2026-03-30 | achieved | Confirmed | $170M Series A at $1.1B valuation. Led by Benchmark and EQT Ventures. | [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/starcloud-raises-170m-series-a-at-1-1b-valuation/); [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2026/03/30/starcloud-raises-170m-to-fund-orbital-data-center-plans/) |
| 2026-05-26 | achieved | Company claim | Starlink Mini laser terminal contract. More than 50 terminals across at least 25 satellites, up to 25 Gbps links (company release as quoted by Unite.AI). | [Unite.AI](https://www.unite.ai/starcloud-raises-250m-series-a-extension-at-2-3b-valuation/) |
| 2026-08-21 | achieved | Confirmed | $250M Series A extension at $2.3B valuation. Led by Manhattan West; NVIDIA and Cisco Investments joined. About 25 employees and a Woodinville, WA factory. | [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/starcloud-raises-200-million-for-orbital-data-centers-as-launch-options-dry-up/); [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2026/08/21/starcloud-adds-250m-to-series-a-at-a-2-3b-valuation/); [SiliconANGLE](https://siliconangle.com/2026/08/21/starcloud-raises-250m-to-build-ai-data-centers-in-orbit/) |
| 2026-09-30 | achieved | Confirmed | Firefly signs Starcloud SC-1L lunar-orbit compute payload. SC-1L rides Firefly Elytra on Blue Ghost Mission 3, NET 2028. | [Firefly Aerospace](https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-signs-starcloud-as-commercial-customer-demonstrating-data-center-capabilities-around-the-moon/); [GlobeNewswire](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/09/30/3371832/0/en/firefly-aerospace-signs-starcloud-as-commercial-customer-demonstrating-data-center-capabilities-around-the-moon.html) |

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

- 2027: Two Starcloud-2 satellites (8 kW each) on rideshare. Sources: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/starcloud-raises-200-million-for-orbital-data-centers-as-launch-options-dry-up/); [Network World](https://www.networkworld.com/article/4132147/starcloud-prepares-to-launch-aws-outpost-into-space.html); [Starcloud](https://www.starcloud.com/starcloud-2)
  - Slipped from October 2026 to 2027. Source: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/starcloud-raises-200-million-for-orbital-data-centers-as-launch-options-dry-up/)
- early 2027 (set October 2025; at risk, tied to Starcloud-2, now 2027): Crusoe offers limited GPU capacity from orbit. Sources: [Crusoe](https://www.crusoe.ai/resources/newsroom/crusoe-to-become-first-cloud-operator-in-space-through-partnership-with-starcloud); [DatacenterDynamics](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/crusoe-to-deploy-in-starcloud-satellite-data-center-in-late-2026-offer-limited-gpu-capacity-in-space-from-2027/)
- 2028 to 2029 (CEO expects Starship access then): Starcloud-3: 200 kW, about 3 t, deployed from Starship. Sources: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/30/starcloud-raises-170-million-series-ato-build-data-centers-in-space)
- NET 2028: SC-1L lunar-orbit compute demo on Firefly Elytra (Blue Ghost Mission 3). Sources: [Firefly Aerospace](https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-signs-starcloud-as-commercial-customer-demonstrating-data-center-capabilities-around-the-moon/)

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

Whether the two Starcloud-2 satellites launch in 2027, and whether Crusoe opens in-orbit GPU capacity after they do.

## Filings (applications, not approvals)

- FCC, 4 Feb 2026: Application for up to 88,000 orbital data center satellites (SAT-LOA-20260202-00073); accepted for filing 2026-03-13; the AAS urged denial or a stay. Sources: [SpaceNews](https://spacenews.com/starcloud-files-plans-for-88000-satellite-constellation/); [Communications Daily](https://communicationsdaily.com/news/2026/04/17/starcloud-space-data-center-plan-sees-objections-and-criticisms-2604160014); [FCC](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-419509A1.txt)

## Funding

Counted in the tracker's verified total: $443.4M.

- 11 Mar 2024: Pre-seed (as Lumen Orbit), $2.4M. Sources: [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/lumen-orbit-raises-2-4m-to-speed-up-downlink/); [Space Insider](https://spaceinsider.tech/2024/03/12/lumen-orbit-raises-2-4m-investment-to-pioneer-in-space-data-processing/)
- 11 Dec 2024: Seed (as Lumen Orbit), $11M. Sources: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/11/200-vcs-wanted-to-get-into-lumen-orbits-11m-seed-round); [GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2025/lumen-orbit-starcloud-10m-space-data-centers/)
- 26 Feb 2025: Seed extension (SAFE), $10M. Sources: [DatacenterDynamics](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/lumen-orbit-rebrands-to-starcloud-raises-another-10m-for-in-orbit-data-centers/); [American Bazaar](https://americanbazaaronline.com/2025/02/28/nvidia-partners-with-space-data-center-startup-secures-extra-10-million460102/); [Cosmic Log](https://cosmiclog.com/2025/02/26/starcloud-raises-another-10m-for-data-centers-in-space/)
- 30 Mar 2026: Series A ($1.1B valuation), $170M. Sources: [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/starcloud-raises-170m-series-a-at-1-1b-valuation/); [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2026/03/30/starcloud-raises-170m-to-fund-orbital-data-center-plans/)
- 21 Aug 2026: Series A extension ($2.3B post-money), $250M. NVIDIA's participation is reported; the size of its share comes from one anonymous source (TechCrunch, citing a person familiar with the deal).. Sources: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/starcloud-raises-200-million-for-orbital-data-centers-as-launch-options-dry-up/); [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2026/08/21/starcloud-adds-250m-to-series-a-at-a-2-3b-valuation/); [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/starcloud-announces-250m-series-a-extension/)

## Cautions

- "First LLM trained in orbit" is a company claim, widely repeated, not independently verified.
- Capella SAR inference results have not been published independently.
- Rounds sum to $443.4M; the company cites $450M.
- Constellation shell altitudes differ by source: 650 to 800 km (SpaceNews) and 600 to 850 km (Communications Daily).

## People

- Philip Johnston (co-founder, CEO)
- Ezra Feilden (co-founder, CTO)
- Adi Oltean (co-founder)

## Sources

- [Gunter's Space Page](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/starcloud-1.htm)
- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/starcloud-raises-200-million-for-orbital-data-centers-as-launch-options-dry-up/)
- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/30/starcloud-raises-170-million-series-ato-build-data-centers-in-space)
- [SpaceNews](https://spacenews.com/starcloud-files-plans-for-88000-satellite-constellation/)
- [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2026/08/21/starcloud-adds-250m-to-series-a-at-a-2-3b-valuation/)
- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/11/200-vcs-wanted-to-get-into-lumen-orbits-11m-seed-round)
- [GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2025/lumen-orbit-starcloud-10m-space-data-centers/)
- [DatacenterDynamics](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/lumen-orbit-rebrands-to-starcloud-raises-another-10m-for-in-orbit-data-centers/)
- [American Bazaar](https://americanbazaaronline.com/2025/02/28/nvidia-partners-with-space-data-center-startup-secures-extra-10-million460102/)
- [Cosmic Log](https://cosmiclog.com/2025/02/26/starcloud-raises-another-10m-for-data-centers-in-space/)
- [Crusoe](https://www.crusoe.ai/resources/newsroom/crusoe-to-become-first-cloud-operator-in-space-through-partnership-with-starcloud)
- [DatacenterDynamics](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/crusoe-to-deploy-in-starcloud-satellite-data-center-in-late-2026-offer-limited-gpu-capacity-in-space-from-2027/)
- [US SEC](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0002087446/000121390026103789/ea030673101ex99-2.htm)
- [CelesTrak](https://celestrak.org/satcat/records.php?CATNR=66303)
- [Starcloud](https://www.starcloud.com/starcloud-1)
- [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/10/nvidia-backed-starcloud-trains-first-ai-model-in-space-orbital-data-centers.html)
- [Communications Daily](https://communicationsdaily.com/news/2026/04/17/starcloud-space-data-center-plan-sees-objections-and-criticisms-2604160014)
- [FCC](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-419509A1.txt)
- [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/starcloud-raises-170m-series-a-at-1-1b-valuation/)
- [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2026/03/30/starcloud-raises-170m-to-fund-orbital-data-center-plans/)
- [Unite.AI](https://www.unite.ai/starcloud-raises-250m-series-a-extension-at-2-3b-valuation/)
- [SiliconANGLE](https://siliconangle.com/2026/08/21/starcloud-raises-250m-to-build-ai-data-centers-in-orbit/)
- [Firefly Aerospace](https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-signs-starcloud-as-commercial-customer-demonstrating-data-center-capabilities-around-the-moon/)
- [GlobeNewswire](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/09/30/3371832/0/en/firefly-aerospace-signs-starcloud-as-commercial-customer-demonstrating-data-center-capabilities-around-the-moon.html)
- [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/lumen-orbit-raises-2-4m-to-speed-up-downlink/)
- [Network World](https://www.networkworld.com/article/4132147/starcloud-prepares-to-launch-aws-outpost-into-space.html)
- [Starcloud](https://www.starcloud.com/starcloud-2)
- [Space Insider](https://spaceinsider.tech/2024/03/12/lumen-orbit-raises-2-4m-investment-to-pioneer-in-space-data-processing/)
- [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/starcloud-announces-250m-series-a-extension/)

## Licence and credits

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