Sustainability and Environmental Considerations
Is an orbital datacenter genuinely lower-carbon once launch is counted?
Chapter summary
Space datacenters move emissions to the start of their life: manufacturing and launch, then zero operational emissions. The chapter compares a 15-year lifecycle against grid-powered and renewable-powered terrestrial equivalents, and covers debris and end-of-life duties.
Key takeaways
- 1
Launch is 65% of lifecycle emissions, 400–800 t CO₂ per satellite; manufacturing is 13%.
- 2
The study reports a 90% lifecycle carbon reduction against grid power, but compares a 10 kW orbital node with a ~150 kW terrestrial load. At equal load, orbit emits less than a 300 g/kWh grid only above about 16 kW per node.
- 3
Serviceable design adds 5–10% upfront cost but could extend mission life 2–3x.
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