Co-founded by Philip Johnston and Ezra Feilden, with former SpaceX engineer Adi Oltean joining as chief engineer, Lumen plans to launch a demonstrator satellite in May, followed by a more powerful test satellite the next year. The company’s approach contrasts with traditional space companies by opting for frequent, smaller launches. Lumen's mission is to capitalize on decreasing satellite launch costs to provide a sustainable and scalable solution for AI's growing data center needs, potentially reducing the environmental impact of tech infrastructure on Earth.
Key takeaways:
- Lumen Orbit, a startup from Y Combinator’s Summer 2024 batch, raised $11 million in a seed round at a $40 million valuation, with significant investor interest leading to an additional SAFE round.
- The company aims to build orbital data centers using pods that attach to solar panels in space, potentially reducing the cost of running data centers compared to Earth-based ones.
- Lumen plans to launch a demonstrator satellite in May and another more powerful test satellite the following year, with a strategy to launch frequently with smaller changes.
- The founders, with backgrounds in the space industry, see space-based data centers as a solution to AI's data center and power challenges, with potential climate benefits.