Sam Altman’s space data center trash talk is what most experts already believe

Sam Altman recently criticized the viability of space-based data centers in a social media exchange, expressing a view that subject-matter experts across the industry already share. Space data centers are not expected to become a serious business for years because they require much cheaper rockets and the ability to mass-produce high-powered satellites at low cost. The feasibility of this business depends on achieving operational reusable rocket flight at scale, which experts believe is likely years away, particularly given that second stages may need to be discarded on each launch rather than recovered.