India considers launching data centers in space – media

ISRO is studying the possibility of placing physical infrastructure in low Earth orbit

New Delhi is planning to place physical data centers in low earth orbit, The Times of India reported on Wednesday, citing officials from the country’s Department of Space and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

ISRO is studying the feasibility of the idea the report noted, adding that the it remains at a preliminary stage.

The agency’s chief V. Narayanan told the newspaper that it was evaluating data processing in space “as part of building futuristic technologies.”

He added, “At this juncture, only preliminary work has happened.”

The report noted that at present most satellites act as data collectors, with images, signals and measurements gathered in orbit being downlinked to ground stations, where processing happens.

India, however, is looking at changing the approach and wants to conduct the on-board processing and storage of satellite communication data.

“...On-board processing enables flexibility for communication satellites as the satellites can be reconfigured in orbit,” Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh was quoted by the Times of India as saying.

The development comes as tech giants and space organizations are exploring the idea of placing data centers in space in order to tap unlimited solar energy.

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Globally, power demand is expected to almost double by 2030 amid the rapid growth of data centers in the US and Europe, according to an assessment by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

India aims to triple its annual spacecraft production over the next three years and increase the global share of the country’s space industry from the current 2% to 8% by 2030.

In December, India successfully launched its heaviest-ever commercial communications satellite.

ISRO’s ‘Baahubali’ rocket launched the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite on behalf of US-based AST SpaceMobile into low earth orbit.