Blue Origin has filed with the US Federal Communications Commission to deploy up to 51,600 satellites for Project Sunrise, an orbital data center constellation aimed at AI computing. The satellites would operate in sun-synchronous orbits to complement terrestrial infrastructure. The proposal follows similar plans from SpaceX and others.
Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, submitted a filing to the Federal Communications Commission seeking authority for Project Sunrise, a megaconstellation of up to 51,600 satellites in sun-synchronous orbits at altitudes from 500 to 1,800 km (311 to 1,118 miles). The orbits have inclinations between 97 and 104 degrees, known as Terminator Sun-synchronous orbits that provide near-permanent sunlight. Each layer would include 300 to 1,000 satellites spaced 3 to 6 miles apart, powered by solar panels to reduce costs compared to Earth-based data centers, which face scaling challenges for AI workloads. The filing states: “The insatiable demand for AI workloads has led to the rapid buildout of terrestrial data centers globally. Space-based data centers will be a complement to terrestrial infrastructure by introducing a new compute tier that operates independently of Earth-based constraints.” It adds that Project Sunrise will “enable US companies developing and using AI to flourish, accelerating breakthroughs in machine learning, autonomous systems and predictive analytics.” Data would route via optical links through Blue Origin's TeraWave system and other networks to the ground. This marks Bezos's third megaconstellation effort, after Amazon's Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) for internet and TeraWave for enterprise connectivity. The move comes after SpaceX proposed 1 million satellites for orbital data centers and Nvidia-backed Starcloud sought 88,000 satellites. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr recently criticized Amazon for opposing SpaceX's plans while lagging on its own milestones. Blue Origin has yet to launch satellites, unlike SpaceX's over 10,000 in orbit.
