Elon Musk’s SpaceX has proposed launching an unprecedented constellation of up to 1 million satellites to orbit Earth and power artificial intelligence data centers using solar energy, according to a filing submitted to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The plan, if approved, would mark one of the most ambitious expansions of space-based infrastructure ever contemplated.
The filing was made public on Friday, one day after reports that SpaceX and Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI are in discussions about a potential merger ahead of a major public offering expected later this year. Such a combination could accelerate SpaceX’s vision of moving large-scale computing infrastructure into orbit, positioning Musk more aggressively in the intensifying AI race against rivals including Google, Meta and OpenAI.
Data centers are the physical backbone of modern artificial intelligence, but they consume enormous amounts of electricity and generate significant heat and emissions. In its filing, SpaceX argued that orbiting facilities powered by near-constant sunlight could fundamentally change the economics and environmental footprint of AI infrastructure.
By harnessing solar power directly in space, the satellites could operate with minimal maintenance costs while sharply reducing the environmental impact associated with land-based data centers, the company said. SpaceX would require regulatory approval from the FCC before proceeding with any such deployment.
Industry experts note that the headline figure of 1 million satellites is unlikely to reflect the final number placed in orbit. Satellite operators often seek approval for far more spacecraft than they ultimately deploy to preserve flexibility in system design. SpaceX previously requested permission for 42,000 Starlink satellites before beginning deployment, and its existing broadband network currently consists of roughly 9,500 satellites, out of about 15,000 active satellites worldwide.
The proposal hinges on dramatic reductions in launch costs enabled by Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation fully reusable rocket. The company said vehicles like Starship could eventually deploy millions of tons of material into orbit each year, enabling on-orbit computing capacity to scale faster and more cheaply than terrestrial construction, while also lowering environmental costs.
Starship has completed 11 test launches since 2023, and Musk has said the rocket is expected to carry its first operational payloads into orbit later this year. Success would be critical not only for expanding the Starlink network with more powerful satellites, but also for realizing SpaceX’s vision of space-based AI infrastructure on a scale never before attempted.
