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Nvidia-backed space data center startup Starcloud says it will include Bitcoin mining ASICs on its Starcloud-2 satellite, set to launch later this year, according to CEO Philip Johnston. The company was originally founded to move AI data centers into orbit, leveraging constant solar power and space-based cooling, but is now adding crypto mining as a secondary use of that energy.
Nvidia-backed startup Starcloud says it will fly dedicated Bitcoin mining hardware on its second satellite, Starcloud-2, targeting an early 2027 launch. CEO Philip Johnston argues that ASIC chips are far cheaper per kilowatt than GPUs, and that abundant orbital solar power could make space mining economically appealing, following the company's earlier Starcloud-1 test that put an Nvidia H100 GPU into orbit.
FutureBit, maker of the Apollo ASIC miners, released HashFly, a browser-based proof of concept that simulates part of a fruit fly's neural connectome—recently mapped and shared by Google—to process simplified Bitcoin-style hashing tasks. The demo uses simulated photoreceptor and PPL101 neurons to check double-SHA-256 targets, with adjustable difficulty levels far below real Bitcoin mining complexity.
Following an August incident where a burst water line at an Athlon BT-operated Bitcoin-mining facility in El Reno, Oklahoma spilled nearly four million gallons of water, a subsequent fire marshal inspection uncovered a string of serious safety violations. Investigators found flammable liquids stored near combustible materials, poorly maintained fire extinguishers, damaged electrical wiring, an empty emergency lockbox, and code-violating vegetation, prompting the city to issue the facility a failing safety grade.
A Bitcoin mining data center in El Reno, Oklahoma, owned by Athlon Blockchain LLC, has been condemned after leaking roughly 3 million gallons of water, prompting closures of schools, businesses, and city and county offices. The facility had reportedly continued construction and operations despite a 2023 city Stop Work Order tied to fire and safety code violations and expired permits.