Starcloud will launch Bitcoin mining in orbit using ASICs

Nvidia-backed startup Starcloud plans to become the first company in the world to launch Bitcoin mining in Earth's orbit.

Mining ASIC installations will be placed on board the Starcloud-2 spacecraft. The rocket launch with the equipment is scheduled for the end of this year.

The company's CEO, Philip Johnston, highlighted three key advantages of space infrastructure for cryptocurrency mining.

• Solar panels receive energy around the clock without night interruptions
• Efficient cooling of equipment is achieved by radiating heat into the cold void of space
• No need to obtain terrestrial permits and bureaucratic approvals

The project's economic efficiency is based on a significant difference in equipment costs. One kilowatt of ASIC power costs approximately 30 times less than an equivalent GPU capacity.

For comparison: a 1 kW Nvidia B200 server costs about $30,000, whereas an ASIC of the same performance would cost only $1,000.

"This may be one of the most compelling scenarios for space computing," the startup's head noted in an interview with Documenting Bitcoin.