China is looking beyond Earth for its next major infrastructure bet.
As criticism grows over the environmental cost of data centers, Chinese aerospace leaders are advancing a bold alternative: moving them into space. According to state media, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) plans to build data centers and digital infrastructure in orbit within the next few years, as part of a sweeping initiative to expand China’s presence beyond the planet.
The effort, known as space+, goes far beyond data storage. It combines space tourism, orbital computing, resource extraction, and debris management into a single strategy aimed at reshaping how — and where — critical technology operates. If CASC succeeds, China won’t just be launching rockets into orbit. It will be exporting the backbone of the digital economy off-world.
China’s five-year plan
According to China Global Television Network (CGTN), the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has announced plans to push the boundaries of space exploration in several ways.
Known as “space+,” their latest program comprises a four-part strategy:
- Facilitating space tourism: Space tourism is already a reality, albeit in a very limited way. As such, the CASC plans to create a space tourism program that is more efficient, accessible, and affordable than those we’ve seen thus far.
- Installing digital infrastructure in space: Modern space travel isn’t possible without digital tools, so the CASC will build data centers and other digital infrastructure to support its various initiatives.
- Developing and harvesting resources in space: The CASC will conduct various feasibility studies regarding the development and harvesting of resources in space. This includes asteroid mining, autonomous extraction, resource transportation, in-orbit processing, and more.
- Managing space debris: Finally, the CASC hopes to break new ground in space debris monitoring. They’ll implement new early-warning systems, devise debris-removal initiatives, and learn how to protect infrastructure from space debris.
Catching up with the competition
Although no full-fledged data center has yet been built in space, some US companies have already begun their own versions of CASC’s space+ program.
Blue Origin, founded in 2000 by Amazon’s original founder, Jeff Bezos, has been offering space tourism since 2021. Virgin Galactic, founded by Richard Branson, has completed approximately a dozen space missions to date. Even Elon Musk’s SpaceX has brought several tourists into space within the past few years.
Others, such as Google, are exploring ways to harness power from solar satellites to support data centers here on Earth. The idea of asteroid mining and space resource harvesting has been a popular theme in sci-fi films and novels for years, and engineers have been working to keep space travelers safe for decades.
With CASC’s space+ program, however, we could be just a few years away from making all of that a reality. If successful, their space+ program will make space travel more affordable, efficient, and safer for anyone brave enough to hop aboard a flight into space — whether that’s a trained astronaut or a curious civilian.
Also read: Space sector momentum is expected to carry into 2026, with investment projected to rise after a record year in space sector investment.