Secure World Foundation will host An Initial Conversation: Orbital Data Centers & Space Sustainability Implications on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
Interest and activity around orbital data centers has moved quickly from the margins to a serious issue in space policy. In the first half of 2026, several prospective operators filed with the Federal Communications Commission for approval to develop and deploy very large orbital data center constellations. These include proposals ranging from tens of thousands of satellites to systems on a much larger scale.
If fully deployed, these systems would multiply the current number of satellites in orbit several times over. That is not just an incremental expansion of existing low Earth orbit activity. It raises new technical, environmental, and governance questions.
Many current discussions around orbital data centers focus on technology and market opportunity. This event will focus instead on the space safety, sustainability, and government policy coordination issues they raise. Orbital data centers sit at the intersection of space activity and the growing demand for artificial intelligence and other compute-intensive applications. Their promise may be tied to the AI and compute sectors, but deploying them at scale without adequate safeguards could threaten the stable orbital environment they would depend on.
This panel will bring together speakers from government, industry, civil society, and academia to examine how space policy and licensing regimes may need to evolve to maintain a safe and stable orbital environment while continuing to support innovation in commercial space.
The discussion will be followed by a networking lunch, giving participants the chance to continue the conversation in a smaller and more informal setting.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
Time: Registration & Networking at 11:30 AM, panel at 12:00 PM, networking lunch to follow