In the past few months, firms including SpaceX, Google and Blue Origin have all shared plans to launch large fleets, or constellations, of satellites into low Earth orbit. The networks would act in a similar way to the interconnected computers inside data centres on Earth, which process, store and transmit data on a massive scale. Putting these 'orbital data centres' into space could, in theory, address concerns about their energy and water consumption, and their occupation of wide swathes of land. The idea is that constellations would use sunlight for energy rather than driving up electricity costs on Earth, and they would be cooled by space's naturally cold environment rather than by water sources on our planet. For some, such a solution can't come soon enough. Data centres on Earth have become so environmentally taxing that communities and politicians are taking action against them. For example, the board of trustees for a township in the US state of Michigan voted last week to...
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