Starcloud, a Washington-based startup founded in January 2024, plans to integrate Bitcoin mining ASICs into its upcoming Starcloud-2 spacecraft. The mission, now scheduled for 2027, aims to utilize near-continuous solar energy in orbit to power mining operations, which the company views as a way to generate revenue during periods of low demand for AI computing tasks.
The Starcloud-2 spacecraft will feature a multi-purpose architecture, carrying ASICs alongside Nvidia Blackwell chips and AWS server blades. CEO Philip Johnston noted that ASICs cost approximately $1,000 per kilowatt, significantly less than the $30,000 per kilowatt required for high-end GPUs, making them a cost-effective addition to the orbital platform.
The company previously launched its first test satellite, Starcloud-1, on November 2, 2025, which carried an Nvidia H100 GPU. In February 2026, Starcloud filed a request with the FCC to deploy a constellation of up to 88,000 satellites.
Financially, Starcloud reached a valuation of $2.3 billion as of August 2026. The company closed a $170 million Series A round in March 2026 and secured an additional $250 million by August 2026, bringing its total funding to approximately $450 million.
