Core Scientific | Muskogee, Oklahoma (SPP) | MSK1 DC01, 100 MW (campus planned for 300 MW across MSK1, MSK2, and DC03) | Drone flight: July 15, 2026

If you trade around data center buildout, you know the two sources you're usually stuck with. Reported milestones, which lag reality. And satellite imagery, which shows a footprint but can't tell you if a facility is actually drawing power. Neither answers the one question that moves a position: is this unit online, right now.

On Core Scientific's Muskogee campus, that gap was wide open. IIR Energy listed MSK1 DC01 as under construction with a July 31, 2026 startup. Our own satellite monitoring showed only incremental change on-site. The good news: our own Weekly Progress Indicator (WPI) had already flagged a high probability the unit was running as early as May — but a probability isn't proof.

So on July 15, we flew it ourselves. A thermal drone pass over the site gave us the one signature that satellite and status reports can't: heat. Vulcan clients can commission a targeted thermal drone flight like this one for $1K per visit.

The Muskogee campus, 7/15/2026. MSK1 DC01 is the completed hall at center, with campus construction, the substation, and laydown yards beyond.

The same facility in thermal. The heat exchangers read warm to hot along the length of the block.

What the flight found

MSK1 DC01 is built as rows of containerized data center modules alongside large banks of heat exchangers. In the July 15 thermal pass, those exchangers read warm to hot across the full block — the facility is actively rejecting heat. That's operational, not "under construction." The rest of the campus, where MSK2 and the third Muskogee unit will sit, is still mid-build.

MSK1 DC01 heat exchangers, 7/15/2026. Visible (left) and thermal (right). The banks read warm to hot, showing the facility is rejecting heat.

A second view of the heat exchangers, 7/15/2026. Visible (left) and thermal (right). The banks read warm to hot between the container rows.

The gap between reported and real

IIR Energy's own date said this unit wouldn't start until July 31. Our drone found it already running on July 15 — two weeks early, and two weeks before that date would have shown up in anyone relying on the reported schedule alone.

How you get this before the market does

This is the model behind every Vulcan flight: satellite monitoring to flag when a site is worth a closer look, then a targeted thermal drone pass to confirm — or overturn — what the paperwork says. Three steps, every time:

• Watch — continuous satellite monitoring flags sites approaching a milestone or sitting on stale status.
• Verify — a dedicated thermal drone flight confirms ground truth: heat, activity, and completion state that satellite alone can't resolve.
• Deliver — you get the finding before it's reflected in reported schedules, so your position is built on what's actually happening on-site.

Private Monitoring

Want to keep the intelligence to yourself and run your own private monitoring program? As an existing client, it's a simple upgrade: sign up for the Private Monitoring Add-On ($25K annual). With this you can upload 50 sites to be monitored. You can even request thermal drones ($1K per visit) and every finding — and every tasking request — stays exclusive to you.

Direct Intelligence at Your Fingertips

Vulcan pairs satellite monitoring with on-site thermal drone verification, providing the ground truth needed to look past reported milestones.

• For current clients: You direct our intelligence gathering. Vulcan runs dedicated thermal drone flights regularly, driven by subscriber demand. Submit site suggestions or commission targeted flyovers to validate your highest-conviction positions.
• Custom mission requests: Send drone flight suggestions to David Bellman at dbellman@synmax.com.

Not yet a client? The next surprise startup — early or late — is already showing up in someone's data. If you'd rather it show up in yours first, reach out to David Bellman at dbellman@synmax.com to schedule a demo of Vulcan's integrated satellite and drone platform.