Elon Musk’s SpaceX just asked the government for permission to launch one million satellites into orbit. This isn’t just about providing internet to remote areas; the company wants to build “orbital data centers.” These flying servers would help handle the massive amount of computing power that artificial intelligence requires today.
In a recent filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX explained that ground-based data centers are hitting their limits. They claim that the world is running out of space and resources on land to keep up with AI demands. By moving these systems into space, SpaceX believes it can solve that problem. Right now, the company is working toward a goal of 15,000 satellites, so jumping to a million would be a massive expansion.
These satellites will run entirely on solar power. SpaceX says this setup will be much cheaper to operate because they won’t have to deal with the high maintenance costs and energy bills of buildings on Earth. In the FCC filing, the company even argued that this plan is better for the environment. They believe space-based servers will reduce the carbon footprint that massive, power-hungry data centers usually leave behind.
However, the plan still faces big hurdles. Earth’s orbit is already getting crowded, and adding a million more objects creates a major safety risk. If the government gives SpaceX the green light, the company will have to prove it can manage that many satellites without causing collisions. There is also no official timeline for when these launches might start, as the approval process could take a long time.
Musk isn’t the only one looking at the stars for answers. Tech giants like Google and Amazon have thought about putting data centers in space before, though they haven’t taken steps as bold as this filing. Musk’s own AI company, xAI, also wants to move its processing power beyond our atmosphere. The race to move the “brain” of the internet into space has officially begun.
