The apparently insatiable demand for AI compute has data center entrepreneurs looking to the stars. There's a key problem: There aren't enough rockets to put data centers in orbit around Earth, and they're too expensive. Most of the players are hoping that SpaceX's Starship ' expected to make its 12th test flight as soon as this weekend ' will solve the problem. But once the vehicle is operational, it may be years before it is commercially available, given SpaceX's internal satellite business. The same is true for Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, which failed to deliver a satellite during its third launch in April. In theory, there's a third way: 'We're standing up our own rocket program,' Baiju Bhatt, the CEO and founder of Cowboy Space Corporation, told TechCrunch. He expects the first launch before the end of 2028. Today, the company announced the closure of a $275 million Series B round at a post-money valuation of $2 billion, led by earlier backer Index Ventures, as a down...
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