This Startup Wants to Mine Bitcoin in Space — and It Could Launch This Year

TLDR

• Starcloud, backed by Nvidia, plans to launch Bitcoin mining ASICs on its second spacecraft later in 2026
• CEO Philip Johnston says Bitcoin ASICs cost about $1,000 per kilowatt vs $30,000 for GPUs, making them far cheaper to run
• Starcloud filed with the FCC to operate 88,000 satellites for orbital data centers powered by solar energy
• Johnston says all Bitcoin mining will eventually move to space due to energy demands on Earth
• Bitcoin mining difficulty has dropped 7% from its November record, giving current miners slight relief

US startup Starcloud says it will put Bitcoin mining hardware into orbit later this year, which would make it the first company to mine Bitcoin in space.

CEO Philip Johnston made the announcement in a video interview with HyperChange on Thursday, then confirmed it on X over the weekend.

Johnston said the company plans to place Bitcoin mining ASICs — application-specific integrated circuits — on its second spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch later in 2026.

Starcloud was founded in early 2024. Its goal is to build data centers in space to meet rising energy demands from artificial intelligence.

In November 2025, the company launched a satellite carrying an Nvidia H100 GPU into orbit. It was the first time a GPU that powerful had operated in space. Johnston later revealed one of five GPUs on that satellite had been unresponsive before launch.

The company has also filed a request with the FCC to operate a constellation of 88,000 satellites. Its data centers are primarily powered by solar energy.

Why ASICs Make More Sense in Space Than GPUs

Johnston says Bitcoin mining hardware is a better fit for space operations than AI GPUs, mainly because of cost.

He argued that Bitcoin’s current energy use — around 20 gigawatts continuously — makes it impractical to keep all mining on Earth long-term.

Still, Johnston acknowledged the economics of space-based Bitcoin mining are not yet proven. Mining profitability can drop quickly as newer, more efficient rigs come to market.

Another company, Intercosmic Energy, has also been working on Bitcoin mining in space, so Starcloud is not alone in pursuing this idea.

Bitcoin Mining Context

Bitcoin’s price has fallen nearly 48% from its high of $126,080 reached on October 6, 2025, which has squeezed mining profit margins.

However, mining difficulty has dropped 7% from a record 155.9 trillion units in November to around 145 trillion, giving miners some breathing room.

Separately, entrepreneurs Jose and Carlos Puente have proposed a system to send Bitcoin transactions to Mars using optical links and a new interplanetary timestamping system. They say actual Bitcoin mining on Mars would not be feasible due to signal latency between the planets.

Starcloud’s second spacecraft launch, which will carry the Bitcoin mining ASICs, is planned for later in 2026.

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