Rapid expansion artificial intelligence and cloud services have led to a huge demand for computing power. This surge has overwhelmed the data infrastructure, which requires a lot of electricity to operate. One average-sized data center here on Earth can consume enough electricity to power about 16,500 homes, as well as even larger facilities. using as much as a small town.
Over the past few years, technology company leaders have increasingly advocated space artificial intelligence infrastructure as a way to meet the power needs of data centers.
In space, sunlight, which solar panels can convert into electricity, is abundant and reliable. November 4, 2025 Google introduced the Suncatcher projecta bold proposal to launch a constellation of 81 satellites into low Earth orbit. The company plans to use the constellation to harvest sunlight to power the next generation of artificial intelligence data centers in space. So, instead of transmitting energy back to Earth, the constellation will transmit data back to Earth.
For example, if you asked a chatbot how to bake sourdough bread, instead of running data center in Virginia To prepare the answer, your request will be transmitted to a cosmic constellation, processed by chips powered entirely by solar energy, and the recipe will be sent back to your device. That would mean leaving a significant amount of heat is generated behind in the cold vacuum of space.
As a technology entrepreneur, I applaud Google's ambitious plan. But as a space scientistI predict that the company will soon have to deal with a growing problem: space debris.
The mathematics of disaster
Space debris – a collection of non-existent man-made objects in Earth's orbit – is already affecting space agencies, companies and astronauts. This debris includes large pieces such as spent rocket stages and dead satellites, as well as tiny flecks of paint and other fragments from discontinued satellites.
Space debris moves at hypersonic speeds approximately 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h) in low Earth orbit. At that speed, hitting a piece of debris the size of a blueberry would feel like being hit by a falling anvil.
Satellite decays and anti-satellite tests have created alarming amounts of debris, a crisis now exacerbated by the rapid expansion of commercial constellations such as SpaceX's Starlink. The Starlink network has more than 7500 satelliteswhich provide global high-speed Internet access.
The US Space Force is actively tracking more than 40,000 objects larger than a softball using ground-based radars and optical telescopes. However, this number is less than 1% deadly objects in orbit. Most are too small for these telescopes to reliably identify and track.
In November 2025, three Chinese astronauts were aboard the Tiangong space station. forced to postpone their return to Earth because their capsule collided with a piece of space debris. Back in 2018 similar incident on the International Space Station has cast doubt on the relationship between the United States and Russia, as Russian media suggested that a NASA astronaut may have deliberately sabotaged the station.
Google's project orbital envelope—a sun-synchronous orbit approximately 400 miles (650 kilometers) above Earth—is an ideal location for uninterrupted solar power. In this orbit, the spacecraft's solar panels will always be in direct sunlight, where they can generate electricity to power the onboard artificial intelligence payload. But for this reason, a sun-synchronous orbit is also The most congested highway in low Earth orbitand objects in that orbit are most likely to collide with other satellites or debris.
As new objects arrive and existing objects decay, low Earth orbit may approach Kessler syndrome. According to this theory, once the number of objects in low Earth orbit exceeds a critical threshold, collisions between objects generate a cascade of new debris. Eventually, this cascade of collisions can render some orbits completely unusable.
Implications for Project Suncatcher
The Suncatcher Project offers a group of satellites with large solar panels. They will fly within a radius of just one kilometer, with each node less than 200 meters apart. To put this into perspective, imagine a race track roughly the size of Daytona International Speedway, with 81 cars racing at 17,500 mph, separated by gaps equal to the distance you need to brake safely on the highway.
This super-dense formation is necessary for satellites to transmit data to each other. The constellation distributes complex AI workloads across all of its 81 divisions, allowing them to “think” and process data simultaneously as one massive distributed brain. Google collaborates with a space company by early 2027, launch two prototype satellites to test the equipment.
But in the vacuum of space, flying in formation is a constant battle with physics. Although the atmosphere in low Earth orbit is incredibly thin, it is not empty. Rare air particles create orbital drag of satellites – this force puts pressure on the spacecraft, slowing it down and forcing it to decrease in altitude. Satellites with a large surface area have more drag problems because they can act like a sail to catch the wind.
In addition to this complexity, particle flows and magnetic fields from the Sun – known as space weather – can lead to unpredictable fluctuations in the density of air particles in low Earth orbit. These fluctuations directly affect the orbital drag.
When satellites are located less than 200 meters apart, the possibility of error disappears. A single strike could not only destroy one satellite, but also send it into nearby satellites, causing a cascade that could destroy the entire cluster and randomly disperse it. millions of new debris into an orbit that is already a minefield.
The Importance of Active Avoidance
To prevent failures and cascading situations, satellite companies could adopt leave no trace This means developing satellites that don't fragment, eject debris or endanger their neighbors, and that can be safely removed from orbit. For a constellation as dense and complex as Suncatcher, meeting this standard may require satellites to be equipped with “reflexes” that autonomously detect and dance through the debris field. The current Suncatcher design does not include these active evasion capabilities.
In the first six months of 2025 alone, SpaceX's Starlink constellation has demonstrated stunning results. 144,404 collision avoidance maneuvers dodge debris and other spaceships. Likewise, the Suncatcher will likely encounter debris larger than a grain of sand. every five seconds.
Today's object tracking infrastructure is typically limited to debris larger than a softball, resulting in millions of small pieces of garbage virtually invisible to satellite operators. Future groups will need an airborne detection system that can actively detect these smaller threats and maneuver the satellite autonomously in real time.
Equipping the Suncatcher with active collision avoidance capabilities would be an engineering feat. Due to the limited distance, the constellation will have to react as a single unit. The satellites will have to move in concert, similarly synchronized flock of birds. Each satellite will have to react to the slightest displacement of its neighbor.
Orbit rental fee
However, technological solutions can only go too far. In September 2022, the Federal Communications Commission created a rule requiring satellite operators to remove their spacecraft from orbit. within five years after completion of the mission. This typically involves a controlled deorbit maneuver. Operators must now reserve enough fuel to fire the engines at the end of the mission to lower the satellite's altitude before atmospheric drag takes over and the spacecraft burns up in the atmosphere.
However, this rule does not apply to debris already in space, or future debris resulting from accidents or accidents. To solve these problems, some politicians have proposed tax on use for space debris removal.
A usage tax, or orbital fee, would charge satellite operators a fee based on the orbital load their constellation generates, similar to how larger or heavier vehicles pay higher tolls to use public roads. These funds will finance Active debris clearance missionsthat capture and remove the most dangerous pieces of debris.
Collision avoidance is a temporary technical solution, not a long-term solution to the space debris problem. As some companies look to space as a new home for data centers and others continue to send constellations of satellites into orbit, new policies and proactive debris removal programs could help. keep low Earth orbit open for business.
This article has been republished from Talka nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trusted analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. He was written by: Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, University of Michigan
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Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti receives funding from NASA and the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Program (IARPA). He teaches space systems engineering and mission engineering and management in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan.
