Keihan Space's Orbital Data Center Rocket: Big Iron, Clydesdale Engines, and the 2028 Goal

Scott Manley reviews the recently announced plans of Keihan Space, formerly Aether Flux, the company founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt. He walks through the company's pivot from space-based power transmission to orbital data centers, the technical details of its launcher, and the engineering rationale behind making the entire upper stage function as the payload.

■ Company Background and Positioning
- Aether Flux's original power-beaming concept and its shift toward space data centers
- The pitch event, the naming conventions behind the infrastructure, and the venture funding context

■ Rocket and Vehicle Design
- "Big Iron": a two-stage methalox stainless-steel rocket, 86 m tall, ~820 t at liftoff, ~15,000 kg to sun-synchronous orbit
- "Clydesdale" gas-generator engines (~300,000 lbf class), turbopump configuration, and current test status
- Reusable first stage, rapid launch cadence, offshore platform landings, and launch site layout

■ Orbital Data Center Concept
- Upper stage as payload: solar arrays, radiator panels, and racks of space-grade Nvidia Vera Rubin GPUs
- Ammonia serving as both maneuvering propellant and coolant, and the dual-purpose structure design
- The 2028 first-launch target, engineering feasibility, and an investment-perspective assessment

■ Sponsor segment covering the Henson Shaving AL13 razor.

Aimed at spaceflight enthusiasts, launch vehicle followers, and those tracking the emerging orbital compute market. Viewers gain a clear technical and commercial picture of the proposal, along with the key engineering trade-offs it involves.