ISRO's ambitious vision: Why India's space agency is considering putting data centres in space?

As tech giants race to build massive AI data centres on earth, India's space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has announced plans to establish data centres in space. ISRO's proposed space data centres would be orbital facilities with computing hardware, storage systems, and communication equipment operating beyond Earth's atmosphere. The idea is to place infrastructure in low Earth orbit (200 to 2,000 kilometres above earth) or geostationary orbit (about 36,000 kilometres up, where satellites remain fixed over one spot).

Why build data centres in space?

“Space offers unlimited solar energy. Earth-based data centres consume enormous electricity and require constant cooling. In space, solar panels generate power continuously, and the vacuum provides natural cooling. At the same time, space-based data centres could reduce transmission delays. When satellites capture data, they send it to earth for processing, then receive instructions back. Space-based processing handles this locally, making real-time decisions faster. Also, India's growing satellite constellation generates massive data. Processing in space before sending only relevant information to earth saves bandwidth and reduces ground infrastructure costs,” explained space analyst Girish Linganna.

Another advantage would be that the space-based data centres would be isolated from terrestrial threats like natural disasters, cyberattacks, or geopolitical tensions.

Technical challenges

However, enormous obstacles exist. Radiation is the first challenge, as space is filled with cosmic rays that damage electronics; standard chips fail quickly. ISRO needs radiation-hardened electronics (specially designed chips that withstand space radiation), which are expensive and less powerful.

“Launch costs remain prohibitively high. Every kilogram costs thousands of dollars. A typical data centre contains tons of equipment. Launching equivalent infrastructure would cost billions. Maintenance poses another challenge. On earth, technicians quickly replace failed components. In space, repairs require costly robotic systems. Heat management is counterintuitive. While space is cold, there's no air to carry heat away. Data centres generate enormous heat, removable only through thermal radiators (devices that release heat through radiation),” added Linganna.

Power generation presents hurdles. Solar panels work well, but data centres need backup power when satellites pass through earth's shadow, requiring batteries.

Current technology

Some experimental space-based computing exists. The International Space Station (ISS) has hosted experiments, and companies have sent supercomputers to orbit. However, these are small experiments, not operational data centres handling real workloads. ISRO's proposal requires advances in radiation-hardened processors, autonomous repair robots, thermal management, and power storage.

ISRO has not announced a specific timeline. Experts suggest this remains a long-term vision.

The technology needs another decade. Current ISRO priorities include expanding satellite launches, developing reusable rockets, and establishing a space station. The economic case remains unclear. While space offers free solar power and natural cooling, high launch costs make Earth-based data centres more practical today. Space data centres could serve specialised purposes: processing satellite data in real-time, supporting deep space missions, or providing secure backup.

International cooperation may be essential. Space data centres require agreements on orbital positions and radio frequencies. The vision highlights the growing importance of space infrastructure. As humanity becomes more dependent on satellite systems, the need for space-based processing grows. For now, space data centres remain an ambitious goal, highlighting both possibilities and limitations of taking computing beyond earth.

“ISRO is only studying the idea, not building a space data centre now. It is a long-term, futuristic concept, not an immediate mission. The main focus is on edge computing in space. Small in-orbit computing systems are possible; full space data centres are not yet practical. AI tasks like satellite image analysis work better when done in space. Thales Alenia Space, with Microsoft, tested edge computing on the International Space Station, processing Earth data in orbit. Google is studying long-term concepts for AI and computing infrastructure in space,” remarked Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO of SpaceKidz India.

Kesan further informs that Kepler Communications is building laser-linked satellite networks with smarter onboard processing. “ISRO’s approach is careful and step-by-step, learning from global experiments. A true data centre in space is still far away, but smarter, AI-enabled satellites are the near future,” added Kesan.