SpaceX would like to launch one million satellites as AI data centers

According to SpaceX records filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Elon Musk’s company proposes to launch one million satellites that act as data centers, exploiting solar energy to operate and process data for AI.

The proposal was announced shortly after news broke that Musk’s two companies SpaceX and xAI were discussing the possibility of merging. If deployed, the orbital data center network will serve as infrastructure for AI systems that require huge computing power and power consumption.

In its filing with the FCC, SpaceX said that placing the data center in space helps take advantage of almost continuous solar energy, reducing operating and maintenance costs compared to data centers on the ground. The company also affirms that this model can reduce environmental impact, as there is no need to use cooling water or consume electricity from the residential grid.

The data center satellites are expected to operate in low Earth orbit, communicating with each other using laser technology. SpaceX describes this as the first step toward the ability to harness solar energy on a larger scale for future technology operations.

According to SpaceX, orbital data centers could become an alternative to ground-based centers, which face many local protests due to water consumption, electricity consumption and environmental impact. Meanwhile, systems in space can radiate heat directly into the vacuum environment and rely mainly on solar energy.

The new proposal is also tied to the development of Starship, the next-generation reusable rocket that SpaceX is testing. According to the company, fully reusable launch vehicles like Starship can help put large volumes of equipment into orbit at a lower cost, thereby rapidly expanding data processing capacity in space. Starship has been test-launched 11 times since 2023, and is expected to make its first payload flights this year.

The FCC has not yet provided a response to SpaceX’s proposal. Whether or not it is approved by the US Federal Communications Commission will determine the ability to realize Elon Musks’ ambition to deploy a large-scale AI data center in Earth orbit.

However, the possibility of SpaceX deploying 1 million satellites is considered very low. Satellite operators often seek approval for a larger number of plans than is actually planned, to create room for design and deployment flexibility.

Previously, SpaceX asked for permission to launch 42,000 Starlink satellites before starting to deploy this network, but in reality only about 9,500 satellites are currently operating. The entire Earth orbit currently has about 15,000 satellites, of which the majority belong to SpaceX’s Starlink network.