Orbital Inc., a Los Angeles startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz, has emerged from stealth with plans to build a mesh constellation of up to 10,000 small GPU-equipped satellites in low Earth orbit to run AI inference workloads. Each satellite would carry roughly 100 kilowatts of solar power and use radiative cooling panels. The company targets AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic as customers, offering API access for inference compute. A prototype launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 is planned for 2027. Key engineering challenges include radiation-induced GPU errors, thermal management without air cooling, and the high cost and difficulty of in-orbit maintenance. Critics note space data centers may be 10–20 years away from viability, but Orbital aims to finalize designs by 2026 and open a manufacturing facility by 2028.
