Cowboy Space leases huge Seattle-area facility for orbital data
California-based Cowboy Space has leased a massive 291,035-square-foot facility in Kent, Washington, to produce hardware for its planned orbital AI data centers. This is the largest industrial lease in the Puget Sound region this year and is expected to create 300 jobs, advancing the company's goal of launching its Stampede constellation by 2028.
California-based Cowboy Space, previously known as Aetherflux, has secured a significant lease for a 291,035-square-foot industrial facility in Kent, Washington, marking a major step in its mission to develop hardware for orbital data centers. This transaction represents the largest industrial lease in the Puget Sound region year-to-date, according to Newmark, the real estate broker involved in the deal. The massive facility will be converted into a manufacturing hub dedicated to producing components for Cowboy Space's ambitious Stampede constellation of AI data center satellites.
The newly leased property, located at 7650 S. 228th St., previously functioned as a Costco distribution and delivery center. Newmark noted that Cowboy Space plans to transform this logistics-oriented building into a highly specialized production facility for space and rocket development. This expansion is expected to create 300 new jobs in the Kent area, with the company currently listing 46 Kent-based positions in its careers database.
Pioneering Orbital Data Centers
Cowboy Space is at the forefront of a burgeoning industry aiming to shift data processing capabilities into low Earth orbit. The company plans to launch its own heavy-lift rockets as early as 2028, with their upper stages designed to house solar-powered data centers. This innovative approach seeks to alleviate the increasing challenges faced by terrestrial AI data centers, such as land scarcity, significant power consumption, and water usage constraints.
Warren Lamont, Cowboy Space’s head of launch and propulsion, highlighted the company’s ambitious development efforts. "We are building what I call the last big clean-sheet launch vehicle in my lifetime, so it’s going to be a very big heavy-lift vehicle, and we’re working every day to bring it to reality,” Lamont stated in a recent LinkedIn video. Lamont, an alumnus of IonQ and Blue Origin, leads Cowboy Space’s engineering hub in the Seattle area.
Strategic Growth and Industry Presence
The company’s expansion comes on the heels of significant financial backing, including a $275 million Series B funding round announced in May. This capital is earmarked, in part, for scaling up production capabilities. Cowboy Space has also forged strategic partnerships, collaborating with chip giant Nvidia to integrate its Nvidia Space-1 Vera Rubin Modules into orbit. Further demonstrating its progress, the company secured a deal in July to test its propulsion system at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, with first engine hot-fire tests anticipated next year.
Kent, Washington, is an emerging hotspot for the aerospace industry, making it a strategic location for Cowboy Space. The city already hosts Boeing’s active Kent Space Center, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and Stoke Space, founded by former Blue Origin personnel. This concentration of aerospace talent and infrastructure positions Kent as an ideal base for Cowboy Space’s manufacturing operations.
The Race to Space for Data
Cowboy Space is entering a competitive landscape with several other players also vying to establish orbital data networks. Prominent among them are Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has announced plans for its StarMind initiative to launch up to a million AI-processing satellites, and Redmond, Washington-based Starcloud. Starcloud is currently developing a production facility in Woodinville, Washington, and has sought authorization for an impressive 88,000 data center satellites. The move by Cowboy Space underscores the accelerating global race to capitalize on the potential of space-based computing.
FAQ
Q: What will Cowboy Space produce at its new Kent facility?
A: The Kent facility will be converted into a manufacturing operation to produce hardware for Cowboy Space's Stampede constellation, which consists of AI data center satellites designed to operate in low Earth orbit.
Q: How many jobs is this new facility expected to create?
A: The conversion and operation of the facility are expected to create 300 new jobs in the Kent area. Cowboy Space has already started listing positions for its Kent operations.
Q: What is the main goal of Cowboy Space's orbital data centers?
A: Cowboy Space aims to circumvent the challenges faced by ground-based AI data centers, such as limitations in land, power, and water resources, by deploying solar-powered data centers in Earth orbit.
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