What Cowboy Space does

Cowboy Space Corporation is a privately held U.S. space technology company building solar-powered orbital data centers for AI compute workloads. Founded in 2024 by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt under the name Aetherflux and rebranded to Cowboy Space Corporation in May 2026, the company is headquartered in San Carlos, California with an engineering office in Seattle, Washington, and employs 101-250 people drawn from SpaceX, Blue Origin, Astranis, NASA/JPL, Kuiper, NVIDIA, Ursa Major, and Robinhood. Leadership includes Founder and CEO Baiju Bhatt and COO/CLO Joseph Yaffe.

The company's core product is the Stampede Constellation, a planned fleet of Low Earth Orbit satellites each integrating approximately 800 NVIDIA Space-1 Vera Rubin GPUs to deliver roughly 1 megawatt of AI compute per node, with optical downlinks to Earth-based receiving stations. Rather than treating the rocket and satellite as separate systems, Cowboy Space designs the launch vehicle's upper stage to function as the data center itself, eliminating redundant mass and dedicating mass-to-orbit to compute. The company has filed an FCC application for a 20,000-satellite Stampede Data Center System constellation, with NVIDIA providing space-grade AI compute modules, Apex manufacturing satellites for the first demonstration mission, and first launch milestones targeted between 2026 and 2028.

Cowboy Space monetizes via long-term orbital compute contracts with hyperscale AI companies and enterprises that face terrestrial grid constraints, particularly the 5-7 year grid connection lead times in major U.S. markets. The company has raised approximately $365 million in total funding, including a $275 million Series B in May 2026 at a $2 billion post-money valuation led by Index Ventures, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, IVP, Blossom Capital, SAIC, Construct Capital, Interlagos Capital, and SignalRank. The company is pre-revenue with commercial service not expected until late 2028.

Name

Cowboy Space

Legal name

Cowboy Space Corporation

Website

https://cowboyspace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cowboy Space Corporation is a U.S. space technology company building solar-powered, vertically integrated orbital AI data centers for hyperscale AI customers, using NVIDIA GPU modules aboard LEO satellites with first commercial launch targeted for 2028.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Orbital AI Compute Infrastructure

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Satellite Telecommunications (5174), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets (IMABACAA), Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI), Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services) (HDAIAJAI)

Keywords

• Orbital data centers
• Space-based AI compute
• Satellite constellation services
• Space solar power
• Low Earth orbit infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

San Carlos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Orbital AI Compute Services: Providing AI computing power delivered from space-based data centers to customers on Earth. Customers will access orbital compute capacity via optical data transmission links. Revenue will be generated through compute contracts with hyperscale AI companies and enterprises seeking alternatives to power-constrained terrestrial data centers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cowboy Space is developing a vertically integrated orbital AI compute platform that combines a purpose-built launch vehicle with megawatt-class GPU data centers integrated into the rocket's upper stage. The Stampede constellation of solar-powered satellites runs on-orbit GPU data centers in Low Earth Orbit, with each satellite delivering approximately 1 megawatt of compute power from ~800 NVIDIA GPUs, transmitting results to Earth via high-speed optical links. The company will deliver orbital compute capacity to enterprise customers on long-term contracts as an alternative to terrestrial, grid-constrained data centers.

Product overview

Cowboy Space Corporation is building a vertically integrated power grid in outer space for artificial intelligence. The company operates a platform-plus-modules architecture consisting of: (1) the Stampede Constellation of solar-powered satellites running on-orbit GPU data centers, (2) the Galactic Brain long-term AI computing constellation goal, (3) the Stampede Data Center System (20,000-satellite FCC application), and (4) proprietary vertically integrated launch vehicles where the rocket's upper stage serves as the data center itself. The system delivers orbital compute at scale and speed Earth cannot match by integrating a megawatt-class data center with active thermal management and approximately 800 GPUs into each satellite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stampede: Power constellation in orbit - a constellation of satellites that harnesses abundant solar power in Low Earth Orbit to run on-orbit GPU data centers.

Products and services

• Stampede Constellation
• Vertically Integrated Launch Vehicle
• Orbital AI Compute Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Grid connection lead times of 5-7 years in major US markets can be avoided with orbital compute deployment
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or Integration · 11 May 2026Strategic partnership for space-grade AI compute modules. NVIDIA is providing Space-1 Vera Rubin modules designed for orbital deployment, enabling approximately 800 GPUs per data center node with 1 megawatt of computing power per module.
• ApexcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Partnership with satellite manufacturer Apex for first technology demonstration mission. Apex will manufacture satellites for the initial demonstration planned for later this year.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Rocket Lab: Vertically integrated launch provider and satellite manufacturer (via SolAero acquisition). Comparable as a public-market example of a company combining launch and spacecraft manufacturing under one roof, providing a benchmark for capital and execution in the integrated space-services model.
• Blue Origin: Jeff Bezos-backed launch provider with ambitions in orbital infrastructure and space-based solar power. Comparable as a competitor for launch services and orbital compute customers, with similar long-term ambitions to industrialize LEO.
• Planet Labs: Operates the largest commercial Earth-observation satellite constellation with hundreds of LEO satellites. Comparable business model of selling recurring data services from a large LEO constellation to enterprise customers, demonstrating constellation-scale recurring revenue mechanics.
• SpaceX (Starlink): SpaceX operates Starlink, the largest active LEO broadband constellation, and is the most advanced vertically integrated launch-plus-satellite operator. Comparable as the closest analog for combining massive LEO constellations with vertically integrated launch and ground infrastructure, though Starlink's focus is broadband rather than AI compute.
• Amazon Project Kuiper: Amazon's LEO broadband constellation initiative targeting thousands of satellites. Comparable as a hyperscaler-backed plan to deploy large-scale LEO infrastructure with vertically integrated compute ambitions, and a potential competitor for orbital AI compute capacity.

Emerging players

• Varda Space Industries: Operates in-space manufacturing and reentry vehicles, building commercial infrastructure in LEO. Comparable as a venture-backed company commercializing novel in-space activities and infrastructure, addressing a similar investor and customer profile of frontier commercial space users.
• Apex Space: Satellite bus manufacturer partnering with Cowboy Space on initial demo missions. Comparable as a venture-funded satellite platform company serving the new commercial space economy, with similar customer overlap though focused on bus hardware rather than integrated compute services.

Direct peers

• Astranis: Builds small, high-capacity GEO satellites for broadband and communications. Comparable as a venture-backed spacecraft manufacturer developing novel satellite architectures and targeting commercial communications customers, with similar engineering culture and tier-1 VC backing.
• Lumen Orbit: Startup developing multi-megawatt orbital data centers in LEO for AI workloads. Directly comparable mission, target market, and architecture philosophy to Cowboy Space's Stampede constellation.
• Starcloud: Early-stage startup building orbital data centers powered by solar energy for AI training. Most directly comparable company to Cowboy Space, focused on the same niche of solar-powered GPU compute in LEO, though at an earlier stage and smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cowboyspace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors16 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cowboy Space