Lunar data center firm Lonestar has announced StarVault, a commercially operational space-based sovereign data storage platform.

As part of the launch announcement, Lonestar also announced an expansion of its existing agreement with Sidus Space, securing a second orbital payload to “meet rapidly growing demand.”

Sidus is currently building the first StarVault payload, which is scheduled to launch in October aboard LizzieSat-4. Sidus will now also be building the second StarVault payload as part of the agreement, which is targeted for launch next year.

The company said the second payload comes on the back of “strong demand” from governments, financial institutions, and critical infrastructure operators. The second payload will allow it to increase capacity, redundancy, and orbital coverage.

Lonestar’s stated aim is to deploy data centers on the Moon and in lunar orbit as long-term disaster recovery sites. The company said that StarVault will deliver ultra-secure, off-planet data storage and enable governments to protect from critical cyber threats, natural disasters, and geopolitical risk.

Data centers have become critical infrastructure for governments and businesses around the world and are increasingly being targeted by bad actors and in conflicts around the world.

“Demand for off-planet data security has exceeded expectations,” said Stephen Eisele, CEO of Lonestar. “With StarVault, we are not just launching a new category—we are scaling it.”

Carol Craig, founder and CEO of Sidus Space, added: "The expansion highlights the strength of our engineering processes and our ability to support increasingly complex payload integrations. Sidus is designed to deliver scalable space hardware through proven manufacturing, integration, and mission execution."

In January, Lonestar appointed Eisele, the former president and CRO, as CEO. It also raised $6.6 million for its data center ambitions in and around the moon.

The company deployed a first-of-its-kind data center on the Moon as part of the IM-2 mission last year, a journey which DCD profiled in a feature that was itself taken to the lunar surface.