First data center on the moon to be launched in February
In February, the US company Lonestar plans to install a data center on the moon for the first time. What advantages the initiators see in their project.
The US start-up Lonestar wants to set up data centers on the moon.
(Image: Lonestar)
The US company Lonestar Data Holdings wants to literally shoot its customers' data to the moon. At the end of February, a small physical data center is to be transported to the Earth's satellite for the first time on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The whole thing is to be embedded in the "Athena" moon landing mission.
At first glance, it seems rather absurd to operate a data center on the moon. However, the initiators see many advantages, including protection against natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts and cyberattacks. The data on the moon should therefore be securely available even under the most adverse conditions on Earth. However, the advantages also come with risks: Rocket launches can fail, there are no repair options in the event of defects, the costs are high and maintenance is complex.
Backup system on earth
The "Freedom Data Center" is to be powered by solar modules. The solid-state drives could be cooled naturally, reports the US news agency Reuters. The offer of data storage on the moon is primarily aimed at data backup, rather than processes that rely on low latency. In addition, there will nevertheless be a backup system on Earth at Flexential in Tampa in the US state of Florida.
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The start-up company Lonestar refers to successful experiments with data storage in space. In 2024, the first successful attempts were made on the moon and before that, in 2021, on the International Space Station (ISS). And the company is already thinking ahead: in 2026/2027, it plans to expand on the moon and later even develop huge data centers under the lunar surface - but there is still a long way to go before then. In addition to the state of Florida and the government of the Isle of Man, an AI company and a band are cited as initial customers.
Data centers should last 15 to 20 years
According to the operating company, the data centers on the moon should last 15 to 20 years on the satellite before they need to be replaced. The company had already applied for frequencies to communicate with the technology four years ago.
(mki)
