Moonshot Radio [S1:E11] - Phil Johnston: Starcloud, Data Centers in Space & Orbital Infrastructure

Can the future of the cloud be built in orbit?

In this episode of Moonshot Radio, I speak with Phil Johnston, co-founder and CEO of Starcloud, about one of the boldest infrastructure ideas I’ve heard in a long time: putting data centers in space.

We explore why rising AI demand is colliding with Earth’s constraints on energy, water, and land — and why space may become an unexpectedly practical place to run compute. Phil explains the economics behind orbital data centers, what reusable launch changes, and how Starcloud is thinking about satellite compute, cooling, and large-scale solar power in orbit.

We also talk about startup speed, credibility in frontier industries, moon hotels, asteroid mining, space law, superintelligence, and what the Fermi paradox might tell us about the long-term future of civilization.

A conversation about infrastructure, abundance, and what it means to take the cloud to the stars.