Elon Musk’s SpaceX has submitted a request to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for permission to launch a constellation of 1 million satellites for data processing centres.
The company likely anticipates that regulators will not approve such an extensive network and is using the inflated figure as a starting point for negotiations.
The project envisions a network of data centres in low Earth orbit, interconnected by laser channels. The document employs grandiose language, describing it as a “first step towards a Type II civilisation on the Kardashev scale.”
Even if only a small fraction of the proposed 1 million satellites are launched, the number of artificial objects in space would significantly increase. According to estimates by the European Space Agency, around 15,000 satellites currently orbit Earth, with more than 9,600 belonging to SpaceX.
Experts are concerned about the growth of space debris and the risk of collisions in orbit. Meanwhile, Musk’s company claims that orbital data centres will be a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to terrestrial ones.
Instead of draining water from populated areas, contaminating groundwater, and increasing electricity bills, space-based facilities could rely on real-time solar energy and cooling in a vacuum.
Data for AI
Musk’s ambitions in AI are expanding. On January 15, SpaceX revised Starlink’s privacy policy to allow the collection of customer data for training neural networks.
The updated document states that information may also be shared with service providers and “third-party partners” without providing additional details.
Starlink collects vast amounts of user data, including credit card information and IP addresses.
Earlier reports indicated that Musk’s three companies—SpaceX, xAI, and Tesla—are in merger talks. The deal could occur before the space company’s IPO, consolidating Grok, X, Starlink, and rockets into a single entity.
The potential merger would accelerate the integration of AI services into SpaceX products, while xAI would gain access to vast datasets for training models.
Back in January, Musk announced that Tesla would resume work on Dojo3—a previously abandoned project to develop a third-generation chip for electric vehicles. It will now be used for computations in space.