The Beijing Science and Technology Commission, along with the city’s space-research institutions and companies, announced plans to establish an orbital data center in a sun-synchronous orbit, approximately 700 to 800 kilometers above Earth, according to the Science and Technology Daily on Friday.
During a meeting held Thursday by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Beijing Astro-Future Space Technology Institute, officials revealed that the orbital data center will form a large, centralized system with an energy capacity exceeding the gigawatt level. It will include subsystems for space-based computing power, relay transmission, and ground control. Each subsystem will be capable of housing server clusters with a total capacity of millions of computing cards.
The meeting outlined a three-phase construction plan. By 2035, a large-scale orbital data center is expected to be fully established to support space-based computing operations.
The event also marked the launch of an innovation consortium for the space data center. Led by the Beijing Astro-Future Space Technology Institute and its affiliate companies, the consortium brings together 24 organizations from across the industrial chain.
The consortium will focus on building and applying orbital data-center technologies. In terms of industrial integration and ecosystem development, it aims to merge the orbital data center with cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, mobile communications, new materials, and new energy sources—supporting the creation of new business models for space-information applications.
Development of the first-generation experimental satellite for the project has been completed, and its launch is scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026. The Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission stated that the orbital data center represents a strategic integration of commercial space technologies and AI. Beijing will increase its support, positioning the project as a key pillar in the construction of an international hub for scientific and technological innovation, contributing to new industrial chains and a complete commercial ecosystem.