# Dirty Bits in Low-Earth Orbit: The Carbon Footprint of Launching Computers

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.06250 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.06250/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 8 Aug 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [LLMSpace: Carbon Footprint Modeling for Large Language Model Inference on LEO Satellites](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.05615/) (2026)
- [Orbital AI Computing: Carbon Tradeoffs Across Satellite Scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.14557/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are increasingly proposed for communication and in-orbit computing, achieving low-latency global services. However, their sustainability remains largely unexamined. This paper investigates the carbon footprint of computing in space, focusing on lifecycle emissions from launch over orbital operation to re-entry. We present ESpaS, a lightweight tool for estimating carbon intensities across CPU usage, memory, and networking in orbital vs. terrestrial settings. Three worked examples compare (i) launch technologies (state-of-the-art rocket vs. potential next generation), (ii) operational emissions of data center workloads in orbit and on the ground and, (iii) in-orbit aggregation with raw data transmission. Results show that, even under optimistic assumptions, in-orbit systems incur significantly higher carbon costs - primarily due to embodied emissions from launch and re-entry. Our findings advocate for carbon-aware design principles and regulatory oversight in developing sustainable digital infrastructure in orbit.