# Project Sunrise

**Type:** Orbital data center constellation  
**Operator:** Blue Origin  
**Status:** FCC filing submitted (March 19, 2026)  
**Scale:** Up to 51,600 satellites  
**Orbit:** Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), 500-1,800 km altitude  
**Architecture:** TeraWave optical inter-satellite links, Ka-band ground links  
**Timeline:** First 5,000+ satellites planned by end 2027; full deployment unlikely until 2030s  

## Overview

Project Sunrise is Blue Origin's proposed constellation of up to 51,600 data center satellites in sun-synchronous orbit. The constellation would use TeraWave optical inter-satellite links for high-throughput backbone communications and Ka-band for telemetry, tracking, and control.

## Technical Specifications

- **Orbital planes:** 5-10 km apart in altitude
- **Satellites per plane:** 300-1,000
- **Primary communications:** TeraWave optical ISL mesh
- **Ground-to-space:** Ka-band TT&C
- **Power:** Solar-powered

## Stated Rationale

Blue Origin's filing states: "Project Sunrise will ease mounting pressure on US communities and natural resources by shifting energy- and water-intensive compute away from terrestrial data centres, reducing demand on land, water supplies and electrical grids."

## Context

- Filed 7 weeks after SpaceX's 1M satellite ODC filing (January 30, 2026)
- Represents ~22% of total LEO orbital capacity (~240,000 satellites)
- Unlike SpaceX's 1M filing, Project Sunrise's 51,600 is within physical LEO capacity limits
- SSO altitude (500-1800km) is a harsher radiation environment than Starcloud-1's 325km demonstration
- No disclosed thermal management or radiation hardening approach in public filing

## Timeline

- **2026-03-19** — FCC application filed for 51,600-satellite constellation
- **2027** (planned) — First 5,000+ TeraWave satellites
- **2030s** (projected) — Full deployment timeline per industry sources