On May 14, China took a leap into the future of computing as it launched the initial 12 satellites of its ambitious Three-Body Computing Constellation, the world’s first try at constructing a space-based supercomputer network. Launching from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on a Long March 2D rocket, every satellite is filled with smart computing apparatus and laser-quick inter-satellite communication connections, opening a new era of in-orbit data processing. When completely rolled out, this constellation will provide 1,000 peta operations per second (POPS) — matching Earth’s strongest supercomputers such as the US-based El Capitan, which has a rating of 1.72 POPS. China’s existing 12-satellite launch already provides a respectable 5 POPS and has 30 terabytes of onboard storage, as per Chinese media.
What makes this unique is not only the computing power, but where it’s occurring. In contrast to conventional satellites that send information to Earth to be analysed, the three-body satellites will take decisions on raw data in space with AI-based systems that have 8 billion parameters. Information will pass between satellites through ultra-high-speed 100 Gbps laser links, lessening dependency on ground-based infrastructure and cutting the time taken to process and respond to enormous amounts of information.
Subimal Bhattacharjee, a defence and cyber security expert and former India country head of General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defence company, opines the launch is an inflection point for global tech dynamics. “China’s launch of those 12 satellites for a space-based supercomputing network is a game-changer,” Bhattacharjee told FE. “This three-body computing constellation with its AI-powered, real-time data crunching in orbit could outpace Earth’s top supercomputers. It is shaking up global tech rivalry, especially between China and the US.”
Expanding the network to 2,800 satellites, spearheaded by ADA Space, Zhijiang Laboratory, and the Neijang High-Tech Zone, China is establishing a foundation for an orbital computer system that would shape everything from climate science and disaster relief to astronomy and real-time military operations. Zhejiang Lab is a research institute backed by China’s Zhejiang provincial government.
“It’s a big deal for the future of computing,” Bhattacharjee said. “I think quicker climate models or disaster response is a promising step in a techno leap. But it also raises cybersecurity red flags, like surveillance risks.”
Indeed, the security implications of computing sensitive or strategic information in space cannot be ruled out. But the project also holds potential for green technology breakthroughs.
Ground-based data centres are power-guzzling giants, projected to use more than 1,000 terawatt hours of electricity per year by 2026, a figure equal to the entire power consumption of Japan, based on the International Energy Agency. These orbital data centres can be powered by solar energy and cooled by naturally radiating heat into the vacuum of space, eliminating the need for massive air conditioning systems that drive up emissions. “On the sustainability front, space data centres using solar power and natural cooling are a win over energy-hungry terrestrial ones,” Bhattacharjee said. “Though we’ve got to tackle space debris concerns for sure.”
Harvard space historian and astronomer Jonathan McDowell recently explained to a Chinese newspaper that such platforms would be able to cut the planet’s computing carbon footprint significantly. As global demand for AI and data processing accelerates, orbital infrastructure might soon become a requirement, rather than an extravagance.
McDowell is also quoted as saying that the idea of cloud computing in space was “very fashionable” at the moment and that orbital data centres can use solar power and radiate their heat to space, reducing the energy needs and carbon footprint. According to him, China, the US and Europe could be expected to deploy such orbital data centres in the future, adding that the Chinese launch is the first substantial flight test of the networking part of this concept. But as China moves ahead, what happens to India?
“As far as India is concerned, this is a clarion call for Indian scientists and policymakers,” Bhattacharjee cautioned. “We need to ramp up ISRO’s game with AI-integrated satellites. We may have to team up with Quad allies for shared tech standards and double down on cybersecurity.” India, with its track record in affordable space missions and its abundant base of tech talent, has a huge potential and needs to move deliberately in this direction.
For this, he said, “Let’s also push public-private R&D, train our talent in AI and space tech, and lead on sustainable space norms globally. I believe India has the brains and ambition to shine in this orbital computing race.” China’s action also raises broader strategic and ethical issues. Who controls information processed in space? What if these orbital supercomputers are compromised or militarised? Will space become the next theatre not only for missiles, but for machine learning? For the moment, this is a bold test of whether low Earth orbit can be transformed into a hyper-smart digital nervous system. But its actual influence could be greater than speed or scale — it could reshape where and how humans compute. Meanwhile, as the satellites hum into action quietly above us, the future of computing already may be in orbit.