Data Center · Compute · Germany · Blackwell · Datacenter Dynamics
Orbital joins forces with Reflex Aerospace for space data center constellation
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Orbital data center (ODC) startup Orbital Compute Inc. has selected German satellite manufacturer Reflex Aerospace as its satellite platform partner through a development agreement to deliver its Orbital-1 100,000-satellite ODC constellation.
Key facts
- Orbital data center (ODC) startup Orbital Compute Inc
- In mid-June, Orbital closed its pre-seed round, raising $5 million, which included 15 investors
- Orbital’s pathfinder demonstration satellite is intended to fly in 2027, carrying Nvidia’s Blackwell chip to test GPU operation, radiation tolerance, thermal performance, and data downlink
- The company filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its ODC constellation in early July, and is still awaiting the regulator's approval
Summary
Reflex will lead the integration of Orbital-1’s satellite, based on a proven bus design at Reflex, which will become exclusive to Orbital, in addition to the technologies used in its constellation. “Reflex brings a proven satellite-bus platform and an advanced engineering team capable of adapting it for orbital computing: hundreds of kilowatts of power, substantial heat rejection and volume production designed in from day one,” Euwyn Poon, founder and CEO of Orbital, told DCD. Engineering teams at Orbital based in Los Angeles will work alongside Reflex's team in Berlin to establish a single, integrated group. “Our model is to move at maximum speed by working with the best in the world at every layer, from spacecraft platforms to manufacturing to launch,” Poon said in a statement.