A new competition is emerging in space: SpaceX, Blue Origin and Amazon Leo have ambitious plans for orbit.
• Blue Origin wants to launch over 50,000 satellites for orbital data centers with “Project Sunrise”.
• SpaceX plans up to one million satellites for an orbital data center system
• Amazon Leo has over 200 satellites in orbit and plans to double its launch frequency
The space company Blue Origin, founded by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos in 2000, aims to make space accessible to humanity. The company says it sees a future in which millions of people live and work in space, with the clear goal of preserving the earth and maintaining it sustainably. Blue Origin recently filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for Project Sunrise, which the company says plans to build thousands of satellites for space data centers.
“Project Sunrise”: Application for space data centers
As can be seen from Blue Origin’s March 19, 2026 application to the Federal Communications Commission, the company plans to use “Project Sunrise” to build up to 51,600 satellites for space data centers in sun-synchronous orbits between 500 and 1,800 kilometers in altitude, spread over several orbital levels with 300 to 1,000 satellites each. For data transmission, Blue Origin’s “Project Sunrise” relies primarily on laser connections via the company’s own TeraWave system and other networks to Earth. This is supplemented by systems for telemetry, control and tracking, which support mission processes and increase operational safety.
According to the application, an important aspect of the project is the rapidly growing need for powerful computer infrastructure, driven by artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud services, which is why terrestrial data centers are increasingly reaching their limits. According to the application, Blue Origin’s “Project Sunrise” aims to tap into the expanding market for AI data centers and support US companies in the development and application of AI.
Amazon receives FCC approval for satellite broadband network
In addition to Blue Origin, another company owned by Jeff Bezos is also pursuing similar plans: At the end of July 2020, the FCC approved Amazon’s application to set up a non-geostationary satellite constellation with 3,236 satellites under certain conditions. The system, now known as Amazon Leo (formerly “Project Kuiper”), is intended to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband services using the satellites. The company announced that more than 200 satellites have been launched by March 2026, more than 200 more are ready for launch, and more than 20 missions are planned for the second year of deployment – supported by heavy-lift rockets such as New Glenn and Vulcan Centaur.
SpaceX plans up to one million satellites for orbital data centers
As can be seen from the FCC document published on February 4, 2026, the space company SpaceX from Elon Musk submitted an application to the Space Bureau on January 30, 2026 for a non-geostationary satellite system with up to one million satellites. According to the FCC document, SpaceX describes the effort as a “first step toward a Kardashev-Type II civilization – a civilization that can harness all of the Sun’s energy.”
As the SpaceX document shows, the data center will include satellites at altitudes between 500 and 2,000 kilometers, distributed in 30-degree and sun-synchronous orbits in orbital envelopes up to 50 kilometers wide. These satellites will communicate with each other through high-bandwidth optical links and perform telemetry, tracking and control functions. The core of the system should be these inter-satellite connections, which should also enable coupling with first and second generation Starlink satellites.
The competition for computing power is increasingly shifting into space. Blue Origin, Amazon and SpaceX are driving the development of orbital data centers and could thus fundamentally change the digital infrastructure of the future.
Svenja Polonyi, editorial team at finanzen.net
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