Tag: Starcloud
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NASA backs dozens of projects on the space frontier, including some with Northwest connections
An artist’s conception shows the Blue Moon Mark 2 lander on the lunar surface. (Blue Origin Illustration) NASA has selected proposals from 37 companies, including several with Seattle-area connections, to further its plans to establish a long-term presence on the moon and enable human exploration of Mars. The companies applied to partner with NASA under…
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How the SpaceX IPO effect could send the Seattle area’s space industry to a higher orbit
SpaceX’s Seattle connection dates back to 2015, when CEO Elon Musk announced at Seattle Center that the company’s satellite operation would be based in the region. “What this represents is the official opening of SpaceX Seattle,” he said at the time. (GeekWire File Photo) SpaceX’s initial public offering is likely to boost the company’s valuation…
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Founders on the frontiers of space and robotics show off their gadgets and tell the stories behind them
Carbon Robotics CEO Paul Mikesell talks about his company’s LaserWeeder system with a model of Starfish Space’s Otter Pup spacecraft sitting on the table in the foreground. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) Four founders of companies on the tech frontier got together this week at a Seattle conference for a show-and-tell about the hardware at…
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Starcloud Seeks $200 Million Funding as Orbital Data Center Ambitions Grow
Orbital data center startup Starcloud is seeking to raise at least $200 million in new funding, a move that could double its valuation to around $2.2 billion, according to a source familiar with the matter. The funding discussions, first reported by The Information, come about a month after the Redmond, Washington-based company announced a $170…
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Starcloud Seeks $2.2B Valuation as SpaceX Shows Interest
Why is SpaceX interested in Starcloud’s $2.2 billion funding round? Starcloud is pursuing a $2.2 billion valuation in ongoing funding discussions, with SpaceX emerging as a potential strategic investor interested in the startup’s edge computing platform for orbital data processing applications. The talks, first reported by The Information on April 30, position Starcloud among the…
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Starcloud Raises $170 Million to Advance Orbital AI Data Center Plans
Starcloud Inc., a startup developing space-based artificial intelligence infrastructure, said it has raised $170 million in a new funding round that values the company at $1.1 billion, as interest grows in alternatives to terrestrial data centers. The funding was secured in two tranches, with Benchmark leading the first and co-leading the second alongside EQT Ventures.…
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Orbital AI: Seattle-area startup Starcloud hits $1.1B valuation to build space-based data centers
Image of a Starcloud deployment of its space-based data center. (Starcloud Photo) Starcloud, a startup building solar-powered data centers that operate in space, announced $170 million in new funding Monday, vaulting it to unicorn status with a $1.1 billion valuation. The Redmond, Wash.-based company is now the fastest in Y Combinator history to hit that…
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Starcloud plans its next power plays after training first AI model in space
Starcloud’s founders — CEO Philip Johnston, chief technology officer Ezra Feilden and chief engineer Adi Oltean — wear protective gear as they check out the startup’s Starcloud-1 satellite before launch. (Starcloud Photo) After taking one small but historic step for space-based AI, a Seattle-area startup called Starcloud is gearing up for a giant leap into…
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An in-space construction firm says it can help build massive data centers in orbit
There has been much discussion in the space community recently about building large data centers in orbit to avoid the environmental consequences of sprawling computing facilities on Earth. These space-based data centers could take advantage of the always-on, free fusion reactor at the center of the Solar System. Proponents say this represents a natural step…
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Lumen Orbit changes its name to Starcloud and raises $10M for space data centers
An artist’s conception shows data-center spacecraft being added to an orbital array. (Starcloud via YouTube) Redmond, Wash.-based Starcloud got its start just last year under a different name — Lumen Orbit — but the newly renamed company is already filling out its seed funding round with $10 million in fresh investment for space-based data centers.…