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The Biggest Risk to A.I. in Space Is Sitting on the Ground

As companies pursue orbital data centers to power the next generation of A.I., the conversation has centered on costs and technical feasibility. But the more consequential question is whether the ground infrastructure connecting those systems to Earth is prepared to protect the future of space-based computing.

Putting data centers in space has moved from science fiction to procurement. SpaceX, Meta and Google are all pursuing the concept, and for sound reasons: orbit offers near-continuous solar power and the natural cooling of space, sidestepping the energy, permitting and cooling constraints currently throttling data center construction on Earth. In April, Meta announced that it had already reserved a gigawatt of future orbital solar capacity. As A.I.’s appetite for power outpaces what terrestrial grids can comfortably supply, the commercial logic is difficult to ignore.

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But the debate is stuck on the wrong question. We are still arguing about whether orbital data centers are technically feasible and how cheaply we can launch them—a debate even the field’s own leaders continue to have. In February, OpenAI’s Sam Altman called orbiting data centers........

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