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1h ago

SpaceX Seeks FCC Approval for Up to 1 Million Orbital AI Data-Center Satellites

The application details solar-powered, laser-linked computing in 500–2,000 kilometer orbits, omitting a deployment schedule, requesting milestone waivers.

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SpaceX's Starship lifts off during its fifth flight test, in Boca Chica, Texas, U.S., October 13, 2024. REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee Beal/File Photo
This image of Venus and the Pleiades shows the tracks of Starlink satellites. The reflective surfaces of the satellites, coupled with the fact that they are orbiting around Earth, mean that astronomical observations that require very long exposures capture “tracks” of the satellites in their images.  This image by Torsten Hansen of Germany won third place in the 2021 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Light Pollution.
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Overview

  • SpaceX filed its request late Jan. 30, proposing an orbital data-center constellation of up to one million satellites to run AI workloads, describing the move as a step toward a Kardashev Type II civilization.
  • The plan envisions spacecraft in sun-synchronous and 30-degree inclinations between 500 and 2,000 kilometers, using intersatellite lasers for primary connectivity with Ka-band as a backup and relying on solar power with radiative cooling.
  • The filing provides no cost or deployment timeline, asks the FCC to waive standard buildout milestones, and proposes operating Ka-band links on a non-interference, unprotected basis.
  • Regulators and outside experts expect intensive scrutiny and a scaled authorization at most, citing collision, debris, and astronomy impacts in an environment with roughly 15,000 active satellites today, including about 9,600 Starlinks.
  • SpaceX says Starship and Starlink experience would support mass deployment, as media report a potential IPO and possible combinations with xAI or Tesla, and the FCC recently okayed 7,500 additional Gen2 Starlink satellites.