Eric Schmidt lands in Van Nuys the same week he confirms his orbital data center plans

Eric Schmidt flew from Appleton, Wisconsin, to Van Nuys Airport on May 18, a 3-hour-58-minute trip aboard his Gulfstream G650ER (N652WE). The flight arrives the same week the former Google CEO explicitly confirmed — in a public reply to an Ars Technica reporter — that he acquired Relativity Space in order to launch data centers into orbit, as covered by Interesting Engineering and Ars Technica in recent days.

Schmidt spoke before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in April about AI's unsustainable power demands, noting that “people are planning 10 gigawatt data centers” and that the industry may need 67 additional gigawatts by 2030. In the weeks since, his acquisition of the Long Beach-based rocket company has taken on a clearer shape: Relativity Space's Terran R rocket, if realized, could lift 33.5 metric tons to low-Earth orbit, enough to begin assembling orbital computing infrastructure.

Van Nuys is a recurring destination in Schmidt's flight log, often serving as a gateway to Southern California's aerospace corridor. The jet — which ranked at the top of published private-jet CO₂ emission lists in 2023 and 2024 — touched down after a shorter trip from Appleton, a stop that likely involved an intermediate visit before returning to the Los Angeles area where Relativity Space is headquartered [labusinessjournal.com](https://labusinessjournal.com/la500-2025/manufacturing-2025/la500-2025-eric-schmidt/).