Elon Musk’s SpaceX has applied to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to launch up to one million satellites into orbit to support space-based artificial intelligence (AI) computing.
In its filing, SpaceX said orbital data centres could offer a more energy- and cost-efficient alternative to traditional, ground-based facilities, which are struggling to keep pace with rapidly growing AI workloads. The proposed solar-powered satellites would operate in low-Earth orbit (500–2,000km) and function similarly to the company’s Starlink network.
SpaceX argues that moving AI processing to space could reduce the energy and water consumption associated with terrestrial data centres, while helping meet rising global demand for computing power.
Experts, however, have raised concerns over the cost, technical complexity, and safety risks of deploying and maintaining hardware at such scale, including the potential for increased space congestion and debris.
Responding to criticism, Musk has dismissed claims that SpaceX satellites overcrowd orbit, saying space is vast enough to allow safe deployment.
The proposal represents a dramatic expansion beyond Starlink, which has launched over 11,000 satellites since 2019, with about 9,600 currently active and more than nine million users worldwide as of December 2025.
The move comes as global data centre electricity consumption is projected to more than double by 2030, driven largely by AI, according to the International Energy Agency.
