| Project Detail |
Cameras and sensors from space are keeping close watch of events on the ground and transmitting this data to Earth. But sending data to the ground takes time. One solution is to launch data centres into orbit. This would reduce the exponential impact of digital technology on energy consumption and climate warming. The installation of large modular space infrastructures with robotic assembly, megawatt level space-based solar power, high throughput optical communications, low cost and reusable launchers is within reach. The EU-funded ASCEND project will introduce a pioneering new on orbit services system concept. This would make Europe a world leader in robotised and sustainable modular infrastructures as well as reusable launchers.
This proposal introduces a pioneering new on-orbit services system concept which would rapidly industrialize the European space ecosystem, making Europe a world leader in robotized and sustainable modular infrastructures as well as reusable launchers, with additional competitive benefits for a sustainable European digital industry and sovereign cloud autonomy.
European space technology has now reached a level of maturity that makes possible a revolutionary – yet feasible – endeavour: the installation of internet data centres in orbit, in order to reduce the exponential impact of digital technology on energy consumption and on climate warming. The installation of large modular space infrastructures with robotic assembly, megawatt level space-based solar power, high throughput optical communications, low cost and reusable launchers, is now within the European space industry’s capability.
The goal of the proposed study is to demonstrate that placing future data centre capacity in orbit, using solar energy outside the earth’s atmosphere, will substantially lower the carbon footprint of digitalization. Space data centres could therefore become an active contributor to the EC Green Deal objective of carbon neutrality by 2050, which would justify the investment required to develop and install such a large space infrastructure system. It would also strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty and autonomy, for a sustainable and prosperous digital future.
Given the ambition and huge potential impact of this project, which would become a major European flagship program, a broad system-level feasibility and business study is necessary. For that purpose, the ASCEND consortium has brought together major players in the fields of environment analysis (Carbone 4, Vito), data centres architecture, hardware and software (Orange, CloudFerro, HPE), space systems development (Thales Alenia Space, Airbus, DLR), and access to space (ArianeGroup). |
