In-orbit Computing: An Outlandish thought Experiment?

Space industry upstarts are deploying thousands of satellites to offer global Internet service. These plans promise large improvements in coverage and latency, and could fundamentally transform the Internet. But what if this transformation extends beyond network transit into a new type of computing service? What if each satellite, in addition to serving as a network router, also offers cloud-like compute, making the new constellations not just global Internet service providers, but at the same time, a new breed of cloud providers offering "compute where you need it"? We examine, qualitatively and quantitatively, the opportunities and challenges of such in-orbit computing. Several applications could benefit from it, including content distribution and edge computing; multi-user gaming, co-immersion, and collaborative music; and processing space-native data. Adding computing hardware to a satellite does not seem prohibitive in terms of weight, volume, and space hardening, but the required power draw could be substantial. Another challenge stems from the dynamics of low Earth orbit: a specific satellite is only visible to a ground station for minutes at a time, thus requiring care in managing stateful applications. Our exploration of these trade-offs suggests that this "outlandish" proposition should not be casually dismissed, and may merit deeper engagement from the research community.