Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

Here's a summary of the themes and opinions expressed in the Hacker News discussion:

Fundamental Technical and Practical Challenges of Space Data Centers

The overwhelming consensus in the discussion is that placing data centers in space presents a multitude of severe technical and practical challenges that make it an infeasible or at least extremely difficult undertaking. Several users detailed these issues extensively.

• Cooling: The difficulty of dissipating heat into the vacuum of space is a major concern. As one user, energywut, put it, "Cooling? Very difficult. Where does the heat transfer to?" The ISS example was brought up, with paxys noting, "Half the "solar panels" on the ISS aren't solar panels but heat radiation panels. That's the only way you can get rid of it and it's very inefficient so you need a huge surface."
• Energy: While sunlight is plentiful, reliable energy for a data center still requires significant infrastructure. energywut stated, "Reliable energy? Possible, but difficult -- need plenty of batteries."
• Maintenance and Upgrades: The inability to easily maintain or upgrade equipment in space is highlighted as a critical flaw. energywut pointed out, "Equipment upgrades and maintenance? Impossible."
• Latency and Connectivity: The variable nature of orbital mechanics and the challenges of maintaining consistent, high-bandwidth connections were also raised. energywut listed "Latency? Highly variable." and paxys commented, "Bandwidth - negligible."
• Radiation Shielding: Protecting sensitive electronics from space radiation is an unavoidable cost and complexity. energywut mentioned, "Radiation shielding? Not free."
• Decommissioning and Orbital Maintenance: The end-of-life scenario for such infrastructure is also problematic. energywut asked, "Decommissioning? Potentially dangerous!" and added, "Orbital maintenance? Gotta install engines on your datacenter and keep them fueled."

All of these points led energywut to a stark conclusion: "There's no upside, it's only downsides as far as I can tell."

Jurisdictional Ambiguity and Legal Loopholes (or Lack Thereof)

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the idea of using space data centers to escape terrestrial legal jurisdictions and regulations. However, many users countered that this is unlikely to be achievable in practice due to existing international law and enforcement capabilities.

• The Appeal of No Jurisdiction: GolfPopper humorously stated the perceived benefit: "Servers outside any legal jurisdiction. Priceless."
• The Reality of International Law: mandevil provided a detailed explanation of why this idea is flawed, referencing international space law: "International space law (starting with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967) says that nations are responsible for all spacecraft they launch, no matter whether the government or a non-governmental group launches them. So a server farm launched by a Danish company is governed by Danish law just the same as if they were on the ground- and exposed to the same ability to put someone into jail if they don’t comply with a legal warrant etc." They concluded, "There is no area beyond legal control, space is not a magic 'free from the government' area."
• Physical Location Irrelevance: paxys reinforced this point: "Unless the company blasts its HQ and all its employees into space, no, they are very much subject to the jurisdiction of the countries they operate in. The physical location of the data center is irrelevant."
• Connectivity Providers' Stance: psds2 questioned the practical execution of such a plan, asking, "Who would be willing to provide connectivity to servers that are exploiting being outside legal jurisdiction for some kind of value?"

Security and Destructibility in Orbit

The vulnerability of orbital assets to hostile action was a recurring theme, casting doubt on the security and longevity of any space-based data center, especially if it becomes a political or economic target.

• Shoot-down Capability: bobthepanda raised the immediate threat: "Given that most of the major powers have satellite shootdown ability this isn't worth all that much if you're causing enough trouble."
• Consequences of Destruction: FredPret highlighted a significant deterrent: "Shooting down a satellite is a major step that creates a mess of space junk, angering everybody."
• Political Leverage and Deterrence: However, the flip side of this was also debated. FredPret posited a cynical view of corruption: "Plus you can just have a couple of politicians from each major power park their money on that satellite." bryanrasmussen responded to this, exploring the complexities: "If I was a major politician and you had my competitors park their money on your satellite it would become interesting for me to get rid of it. Indeed if you had me and my competitors on the satellite I might start thinking how do I conceal getting my money out of here and then wait for best moment to ram measure through to blow up satellite."

A Cynical View of Venture Capital and "Dumb Ideas"

A thread emerged suggesting that the idea of space data centers, particularly the specific "Starcloud" project mentioned, might be more about attracting speculative investment than genuine technological advancement, labeling it as potentially the "dumbest possible idea."

• Investor Attraction: fsh cynically wondered, "I wonder if Starcloud is some kind of social experiment to figure out which is the dumbest possible idea that still somehow gets investors."
• Standing Out in a Crowd: SirFatty humorously agreed with the sentiment: "...dumbest possible idea.. It's a crowded field, you have to do something to stand out!"

Potential "Excuse" for Engineering Innovation

One user offered a more pragmatic, albeit still somewhat cynical, justification for such projects: using them as a vehicle to advance and fund the development of components that have broader applications in the space industry.

• Unsexy but Necessary Components: notahacker suggested, "The best argument I've heard for data centres in space startups is it's a excuse to do engineering work on components other space companies might want to buy (radiators, shielding, rad-hardened chips, data transfer, space batteries) which are too unsexy to attract the same level of FOMO investment..."

Nostalgia for the Night Sky

A poignant, albeit brief, sentiment was expressed about the potential loss of natural beauty in favor of commercialized space.

• The Value of the Natural Sky: quantified lamented, "And all of humanity will be watching these arrays orbit, for the financial benefit of whom? I'm happy to remember the wild night sky."