When China launched twelve satellites into orbit this week, the Asian giant stepped into unknown territory – where no one has gone before.

These were not ordinary communication or observation satellites. 

Each one carries sophisticated computing systems capable of processing 744 trillion operations per second, marking the beginning of humanity's first attempt to build a supercomputer network in space.

The satellites represent the initial phase of China's Three-Body Computing Constellation, an ambitious project led by Zhejiang Lab in partnership with ADA Space, Zhijiang Laboratory, and Neijang High-Tech Zone. 

When complete, this orbital supercomputing network will comprise 2,800 satellites delivering a combined computing capacity of 1,000 peta operations per second (POPS), or one quintillion operations per second. This represents computational power roughly equivalent to processing every book ever written by humanity in under one second.

The twelve satellites currently in orbit are interconnected through high-speed laser communication links that transfer data at up to 100 gigabits per second. 

Together, they provide 5 POPS of computing power and 30 terabytes of onboard storage. Each satellite also carries a space-based artificial intelligence model with 8 billion parameters, enabling raw data processing directly in orbit without requiring transmission back to Earth. 

Guoxing Aerospace, an AI satellite developer based in Chengdu, was responsible for developing the intelligent satellite platforms and overseeing satellite assembly. 

HiStarlink, a start-up specialising in laser communications, developed the high-speed optical terminals that enable data transfer between satellites in the network.

Why does it matter

Traditional satellite operations face severe limitations that space-based computing aims to eliminate. 

Currently, satellites collect vast amounts of data but can only transmit less than 10 percent back to Earth due to limited bandwidth and scarce ground station availability. The remaining 90 percent is lost, often representing critical information that could advance scientific research or improve global monitoring systems.

The computing bottleneck becomes more problematic as artificial intelligence applications demand increasingly powerful processing capabilities. 

Earth-based data centres already strain global energy resources, with the International Energy Agency estimating they will consume more than 1,000 terawatt hours of electricity annually by 2026, equivalent to Japan's entire national power consumption.

Space offers natural advantages for large-scale computing operations. Satellites can harness unlimited solar power and naturally dissipate heat into the vacuum of space, eliminating the massive cooling requirements that consume significant energy in terrestrial data centres. Google alone used 19.7 billion litres of water in 2022 just to cool its data centres.

Harvard astronomer and space historian Jonathan McDowell explains that orbital data centres represent a "very fashionable" concept that could significantly reduce computing's environmental footprint. 

“Orbital data centres can use solar power and radiate their heat to space, reducing the energy needs and carbon footprint,” he said.

He expects similar initiatives to emerge from the United States and Europe as the technology proves viable.

“Today’s Chinese launch is the first substantial flight test of the networking part of this concept.”

What it really changes

China's space-based supercomputing initiative fundamentally alters how humanity processes and manages information. Rather than relying on undersea cables and terrestrial infrastructure, data could soon flow between satellite constellations orbiting Earth, creating a truly global digital network unbound by geographic constraints.

The Three-Body Computing Constellation will enable real-time data processing in orbit, supporting applications ranging from climate monitoring to deep-space astronomical observations. 

The satellites will test cutting-edge technologies, including cross-orbit laser communication systems that could revolutionise space-based networking.

For comparison, the world's most powerful ground-based supercomputer, the El Capitan system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, achieves 1.72 peta operations per second. China's completed constellation would deliver nearly 600 times that computing power while operating beyond Earth's atmosphere.

The project also brings critical issues to the forefront regarding space governance and resource allocation. Through advancing computing constellations, orbital space could become increasingly congested, requiring new international frameworks to manage traffic and prevent conflicts.

Scientific research could also accelerate dramatically when massive computational resources operate continuously in space, processing data from telescopes, climate sensors, and other instruments without the delays and limitations imposed by Earth-based systems.

The success of China's initial twelve satellites may determine whether humanity's digital future extends into space or remains bound to Earth. 

But there are also some important questions to be asked.

What will be the geopolitical implications? What regulations will need to be put in place to prevent space saturation or conflicts of interest?

China positions itself as the pioneer in space-based computing infrastructure, and will potentially establish new standards for orbital data processing that other nations must follow or compete against. 

This technological leadership could influence everything from global internet architecture to space-based artificial intelligence development while fueling new rivalries in the process.