In May 2025, China launched the first twelve satellites in what will become a 2,800-unit computing constellation orbiting the planet. This is part of the Three-Body Computing Constellation, an ambitious effort to build the first AI-powered supercomputer in space. Each satellite is equipped with AI chips capable of processing 744 trillion operations per second, and the entire system communicates through laser links at speeds up to 100 gigabits per second.

This network represents more than technological innovation. It reflects a significant shift in how countries may build, control, and compete over digital infrastructure. Computing is no longer confined to the ground. Now it lives in orbit.

Modern data centers consume massive amounts of electricity not just for processing, but for cooling. As processors run, they generate heat. Keeping temperatures within safe operational limits requires complex cooling systems, which increase costs and energy use.

Space offers a unique advantage. Without atmosphere, heat can radiate directly into the vacuum of space. Engineers can design radiator panels that vent excess energy much more efficiently. This allows hardware to run at higher densities with fewer trade-offs. It is a passive, physics-enabled cooling solution that doesn't require water, refrigerants, or mechanical systems needed on Earth.

Ground-based data centers draw power from electric grids, many of which are strained or dependent on fossil fuels. Hyperscale centers often require hundreds of megawatts, which can make sitting difficult and politically sensitive.

In orbit, solar energy is uninterrupted and more intense. There is no cloud cover or night cycle. Solar panels can collect and convert sunlight around the clock in certain orbits, especially geosynchronous or sun-synchronous paths. These satellites become self-powered. Though substantial, the system’s total energy draw is free from the geopolitical and environmental constraints of land-based power.

Data centers take up physical space. In cities, land is expensive and often contested. In rural areas, data centers can strain water resources and electrical infrastructure.

Satellites bypass these issues entirely. They do not compete for land. Scaling the system means launching more units, not rezoning or clearing additional real estate. As urban density increases and land costs rise, orbital infrastructure provides a scalable, politically neutral alternative.

As commercial spaceflight becomes more feasible, reliable computing in orbit becomes more urgent. This new network has significant implications for space tourism, exploration, and orbital logistics.

Hotels, habitats, and research stations in orbit need constant monitoring and management. Life support systems, communications arrays, and guest services depend on high-reliability computation. The delay can be fatal or frustrating if everything must be sent back to Earth for processing.

With a local network in orbit, systems can operate with low latency and high autonomy. This improves safety, efficiency, and user experience for tourists and crews alike.

Future space tourists will want to broadcast their journeys in real time. They will use augmented reality, virtual assistants, and livestreaming tools to share their experiences. Processing this data in orbit avoids the signal lag of routing through ground stations.

These satellites allow for real-time rendering of virtual environments, object recognition for heads-up displays, and instant translation services. They also make it possible to edit and distribute content live without returning the data to Earth for processing.

Spacecraft of the future will rely on autonomy for collision avoidance, orbital corrections, and docking. That requires computing power close to the vehicle itself.

This satellite mesh can act as a virtual mission control in the sky. It provides backup systems, alternate communication relays, and AI models for predictive maintenance and course adjustments. It also creates a shared coordination layer for managing increasingly crowded orbital lanes.

This system isn’t just for tourists or astronauts. It has the potential to reshape multiple industries and redefine digital power.

Many satellites already collect data about the planet. What makes this system different is its ability to process that data immediately. That means spotting wildfires as they break out, mapping illegal fishing in real time, or tracking military assets without delay.

The shift from “download and analyze later” to “analyze in orbit” changes response timeframes. It moves from hours to minutes. That can save lives during natural disasters, reduce environmental damage, and improve defense readiness.

AI models require large datasets and high-speed processors. These satellites can train and refine models in orbit using imagery, sensor data, and real-time observations. They may also synchronize updates across the constellation using laser links, making learning distributed and parallel.

Offloading this workload to space reduces the environmental impact of AI training on Earth. It also gives China an edge in model development by allowing continuous updates based on global inputs.

This network can become a commercial product. China could offer compute time to international customers, just like companies lease Amazon Web Services. This would turn space into a business platform, not just a national resource.

It also provides resilience. If political sanctions or terrestrial outages occur, compute functions can continue independently above the surface. This makes it attractive to nations and corporations that value redundancy.

Terrestrial computing depends on undersea cables, power grids, and legal jurisdictions, while satellites do not. By building a space-based platform, China escapes many of the constraints of national regulation.

This changes the balance of power. It allows China to operate outside the reach of other governments, while potentially offering others access to infrastructure not controlled by the U.S. or Europe.

The upside is enormous, but so are the risks. A system this powerful introduces new vulnerabilities.

Satellites are now more than sensors. They are full computers. That means cyberattacks can target them. If even one node is compromised, it could spread poisoned data, shut down systems, or feed false information into critical applications.

Even laser links are not invulnerable. Secure quantum communication protocols may help, but only if fully implemented. A single lapse in authentication or patch management could expose the whole network.

If adversaries gain control of a satellite, they could manipulate results, extract data, or issue rogue instructions. Satellites need to authenticate every command and regularly verify integrity. Without this, the system could be turned against its operators.

The risk is greater because of the network's distributed nature. Many satellites working together increase the attack surface. Defense depends on decentralized trust models and rapid isolation of compromised nodes.

Satellites are vulnerable to collisions, especially in low Earth orbit. A single strike can create debris that damages others. Anti-satellite weapons, including kinetic interceptors or lasers, could knock out key parts of the system.

Operators must invest in debris avoidance, orbital maneuvering, and potentially active defenses. Failures in these systems could take down entire regions of the constellation.

Currently, space law is weak regarding cybersecurity, weaponization, and liability. If a non-state actor hacks a Chinese satellite, or if another nation destroys one in a test, who responds? What consequences follow?

This ambiguity invites risk. It allows escalation without accountability. It also makes it harder to form shared norms around security, transparency, and responsible use.

China’s constellation is the first of its kind, but won’t be the last. Once proven, other countries and companies will follow. The sky will not be empty much longer.

This project challenges old assumptions. It asks whether the Internet must live on Earth. It forces governments to rethink where computing happens and who controls the infrastructure of the future.

The answers are still unfolding, but one thing is clear: a digital arms race is underway and no longer stops at the stratosphere.