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Axiom Space aims for the International Space Station with its Orbital Data Center Node. But will the ISS still be there to host it?. Axiom Space and Spacebilt have announced plans to add optically interconnected Orbital Data Center (ODC) infrastructure to the International Space Station (ISS). The plan is to launch two Axiom Orbital Data Center (AxODC) Nodes to the ISS by the end of 2025, with at least three running by the end of 2027. It all sounds very exciting until you consider that Axiom Data Center Unit One (AxDCU-1), which eventually launched to the ISS in August, was a prototype that was roughly the size of a shoebox. AxDCU-1 is more of a demonstrator to show that the concept works – think of an edge device on-orbit that can host hybrid cloud and applications, as well as cloud-native workloads. The AxODC Nodes are altogether more serious beasts. In addition to being interconnected, the hardware will be supported by an Optical Communication Terminal (OCT), allowing service to be provided to any spacecraft or satellite equipped with compatible OCTs. Jason Aspiotis, global director of in-space data and security at Axiom Space, said: "AxODC Node ISS is particularly exciting because not only are we increasing computing capacity on the space station, but we are integrating commercial optical communications terminals with the station, which gives our computing hardware connectivity to satellites in the mesh network." Spacebilt is leading the engineering design effort and also delivering its Large In-Space Servers (LiSS), which feature Phison enterprise-class SSDs. KS Pua, CEO and founder of Phison Electronics, said: "We are committed to enabling storage in space as the next data frontier. To support this launch and bring unmatched, petabyte-level storage capacity in an ODC environment, Phison is providing Pascari enterprise SSDs as the foundation for the AxODC Node aboard the International Space Station." A slight fly in the ointment is the ISS's longevity. Even if Axiom managed to get the first AxODC Node hardware installed on the ISS by the end of 2025, the complex is due for deorbit by 2030. Last year, Axiom published optimistic plans to make its own space station, which has yet to achieve orbit, an independent platform by 2028. The Register asked Axiom Space if it would shift its ODC hardware to the new modules, and also under which country's laws the on-orbit data storage and processing would occur, but the company has yet to respond.