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Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

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Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#11

Post by notahacker »

GolfPopper wrote: post #6
energywut wrote: post #4

Putting a datacenter in space is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. Reliable energy? Possible, but difficult -- need plenty of batteries Cooling? Very difficult. Where does the heat transfer to? Latency? Highly variable. Equipment upgrades and maintenance? Impossible. Radiation shielding? Not free. Decommissioning? Potentially dangerous! Orbital maintenance? Gotta install engines on your datacenter and kee…

Servers outside any legal jurisdiction. Priceless.

The 'Principality of Sealand', anywhere else on the high seas or Antarctica have their issues with practicality too, but considerably less likelihood of background radiation flipping bits...

Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#12

Post by FredPret »

bobthepanda wrote: post #9
GolfPopper wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Servers outside any legal jurisdiction. Priceless.

Given that most of the major powers have satellite shootdown ability this isn't worth all that much if you're causing enough trouble.

Shooting down a satellite is a major step that creates a mess of space junk, angering everybody.

Plus you can just have a couple of politicians from each major power park their money on that satellite.

Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#13

Post by kolbe »

energywut wrote: post #4

Putting a datacenter in space is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. Reliable energy? Possible, but difficult -- need plenty of batteries Cooling? Very difficult. Where does the heat transfer to? Latency? Highly variable. Equipment upgrades and maintenance? Impossible. Radiation shielding? Not free. Decommissioning? Potentially dangerous! Orbital maintenance? Gotta install engines on your datacenter and kee…

Re: reliable energy. Even in low earth orbit, isn't sunlight plentiful? My layman's guess says it's in direct sun 80-95% of the time, with deterministic shade.

Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#14

Post by psds2 »

GolfPopper wrote: post #6
energywut wrote: post #4

Putting a datacenter in space is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. Reliable energy? Possible, but difficult -- need plenty of batteries Cooling? Very difficult. Where does the heat transfer to? Latency? Highly variable. Equipment upgrades and maintenance? Impossible. Radiation shielding? Not free. Decommissioning? Potentially dangerous! Orbital maintenance? Gotta install engines on your datacenter and kee…

Servers outside any legal jurisdiction. Priceless.

Who would be willing to provide connectivity to servers that are exploiting being outside legal jurisdiction for some kind of value?

Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#15

Post by mandevil »

GolfPopper wrote: post #6
energywut wrote: post #4

Putting a datacenter in space is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. Reliable energy? Possible, but difficult -- need plenty of batteries Cooling? Very difficult. Where does the heat transfer to? Latency? Highly variable. Equipment upgrades and maintenance? Impossible. Radiation shielding? Not free. Decommissioning? Potentially dangerous! Orbital maintenance? Gotta install engines on your datacenter and kee…

Servers outside any legal jurisdiction. Priceless.

International space law (starting with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967) says that nations are responsible for all spacecraft they launch, no matter whether the government or a non-governmental group launches them. So a server farm launched by a Danish company is governed by Danish law just the same as if they were on the ground- and exposed to the same ability to put someone into jail if they don't comply with a legal warrant etc.

This is true even if your company moves the actual launching to, say, a platform in international waters- you (either a corporation or an individual) are still regulated by your home country, and that country is responsible for your actions and has full enforcement rights over you. There is no area beyond legal control, space is not a magic "free from the government" area.

Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#16

Post by bryanrasmussen »

FredPret wrote: post #12
bobthepanda wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that most of the major powers have satellite shootdown ability this isn't worth all that much if you're causing enough trouble.

Shooting down a satellite is a major step that creates a mess of space junk, angering everybody. Plus you can just have a couple of politicians from each major power park their money on that satellite.

>Shooting down a satellite is a major step that creates a mess of space junk, angering everybody.

unless everybody is angry at satellite in which case it is a price everybody is even eager to pay.

>Plus you can just have a couple of politicians from each major power park their money on that satellite.

I've long had the idea that there are fashions in corruption and a point at which to be corrupt just becomes too gauche and most politicians go back to being honest.

This explains the highly variant history of extreme corruption in democracies.

At any rate while the idea that the cure for any government interference is to be sufficiently corrupt sounds foolproof in theory I'm not sure it actually works out.

If I was a major politician and you had my competitors park their money on your satellite it would become interesting for me to get rid of it. Indeed if you had me and my competitors on the satellite I might start thinking how do I conceal getting my money out of here and then wait for best moment to ram measure through to blow up satellite.

Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#17

Post by paxys »

energywut wrote: post #4

Putting a datacenter in space is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. Reliable energy? Possible, but difficult -- need plenty of batteries Cooling? Very difficult. Where does the heat transfer to? Latency? Highly variable. Equipment upgrades and maintenance? Impossible. Radiation shielding? Not free. Decommissioning? Potentially dangerous! Orbital maintenance? Gotta install engines on your datacenter and kee…

Bandwidth - negligible

Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#18

Post by paxys »

GolfPopper wrote: post #6
energywut wrote: post #4

Putting a datacenter in space is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. Reliable energy? Possible, but difficult -- need plenty of batteries Cooling? Very difficult. Where does the heat transfer to? Latency? Highly variable. Equipment upgrades and maintenance? Impossible. Radiation shielding? Not free. Decommissioning? Potentially dangerous! Orbital maintenance? Gotta install engines on your datacenter and kee…

Servers outside any legal jurisdiction. Priceless.

Unless the company blasts its HQ and all its employees into space, no, they are very much subject to the jurisdiction of the countries they operate in. The physical location of the data center is irrelevant.

Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#19

Post by wkat4242 »

energywut wrote: post #4

Putting a datacenter in space is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. Reliable energy? Possible, but difficult -- need plenty of batteries Cooling? Very difficult. Where does the heat transfer to? Latency? Highly variable. Equipment upgrades and maintenance? Impossible. Radiation shielding? Not free. Decommissioning? Potentially dangerous! Orbital maintenance? Gotta install engines on your datacenter and kee…

Yes cooling is difficult. Half the "solar panels" on the ISS aren't solar panels but heat radiation panels. That's the only way you can get rid of it and it's very inefficient so you need a huge surface.

Re: Starcloud can’t put a data centre in space at $8.2M in one Starship

#20

Post by energywut »

kolbe wrote: post #13
energywut wrote: post #4

Putting a datacenter in space is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. Reliable energy? Possible, but difficult -- need plenty of batteries Cooling? Very difficult. Where does the heat transfer to? Latency? Highly variable. Equipment upgrades and maintenance? Impossible. Radiation shielding? Not free. Decommissioning? Potentially dangerous! Orbital maintenance? Gotta install engines on your datacenter and kee…

Re: reliable energy. Even in low earth orbit, isn't sunlight plentiful? My layman's guess says it's in direct sun 80-95% of the time, with deterministic shade.

Depends on your orbit, but you need to be prepared to rotate into Earth's shadow seamlessly.
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