Orbital raises $5 million to join orbital data center race
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
Los Angeles-based startup Orbital has raised $5 million in pre-seed funding to support the development of its first purpose-built orbital compute satellite, Orbital-1, slated for 2028. The startup plans to deploy over 100,000 orbital data centers to meet surging demand for AI infrastructure, with each production satellite capable of 100 kilowatts of compute power. Orbital aims to test core challenges facing the emerging market through a 2027 pathfinder mission.
💡 Why It Matters
- · The proliferation of orbital data centers could fundamentally shift the way AI infrastructure is deployed and utilized, potentially enabling new applications and use cases that were previously impossible due to limitations in computing power and data processing capabilities.