Former NASA Engineer Slams Space Data Centers as 'Worst Idea'

As per BlockTempo, a former NASA engineer and Google cloud expert has criticized the concept of deploying data centers in space as impractical and economically unfeasible. The engineer, who holds a PhD in space electronics, highlights major challenges including power generation, thermal management, radiation resistance, and communication limitations. He argues that the energy required to power high-performance GPUs and TPUs in space is prohibitively expensive and inefficient, with even the largest solar arrays on the International Space Station (ISS) only capable of powering around 200 GPUs. Additionally, cooling in the vacuum of space is far more complex than on Earth, requiring advanced radiative systems that significantly increase the size and cost of satellites. Radiation exposure in space also poses a serious threat to electronic components, necessitating radiation-hardened designs that drastically reduce performance. The engineer concludes that while technically possible, space-based data centers are not economically viable and offer minimal performance benefits compared to terrestrial alternatives.