E-scooter entrepreneur Matt Johnson secured $5 million in seed funding to launch Orbital Data Centers, a startup focused on building data centers in low Earth orbit. The funding round closed in early June 2026 and included participation from several venture capital firms specializing in space technology, according to techcrunch.com.
Johnson, who previously founded the e-scooter company Glide, pivoted to space infrastructure after identifying the growing demand for decentralized cloud computing. Orbital Data Centers plans to deploy modular data centers on satellites to reduce latency and improve data security. The startup aims to leverage Johnson's experience in hardware and logistics to overcome the challenges of space deployment, techcrunch.com reported.
The move into space-based data centers addresses increasing concerns over terrestrial data center vulnerabilities and rising energy costs. Orbital Data Centers joins a niche group of companies exploring space infrastructure, including established players like Amazon's Project Kuiper and SpaceX's Starlink, which focus on satellite internet rather than data storage. This $5 million seed round is among the largest early-stage investments in space data infrastructure this year, techcrunch.com noted.
Orbital Data Centers plans to launch its first prototype satellite data center by mid-2027. The company disclosed that it has secured launch agreements with SpaceX and is finalizing partnerships with cloud service providers to integrate its space-based infrastructure into existing networks.