SpaceX Asks FCC To Approve 1 Million Solar-Powered AI Satellites
SpaceX asked the FCC to authorize up to 1 million solar-powered satellites as orbital AI data centers, according to the company's filing.
Overview
SpaceX filed with the Federal Communications Commission seeking permission to launch a constellation of up to 1 million solar-powered satellites to operate as orbital data centers for artificial intelligence, the filing shows.
The company said in the filing that the satellites would orbit between 500 kilometers and 2,000 kilometers, draw near-constant solar power, rely on radiative cooling and use laser links to communicate, according to the filing.
Industry analysts said the 1 million-satellite figure is unlikely to be approved and likely serves as a negotiation starting point, and Elon Musk posted on X that "I thought we'd start small and work our way up," according to his post.
There are roughly 15,000 man-made satellites in orbit and SpaceX's Starlink network currently has about 9,500 satellites, while the FCC recently authorized an additional 7,500 Starlink satellites and deferred authorization for 14,988, records show.
The FCC must review the application and SpaceX said the plan depends on routine Starship launches — after 11 Starship test flights since 2023 — and faces scrutiny over orbital debris and environmental impacts, according to the filing and the European Space Agency.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame SpaceX’s proposal skeptically, emphasizing scale, feasibility, regulatory hurdles, and environmental risks. Editorial choices—calling the filing a “grandiose vision,” foregrounding FCC limits, citing The Verge’s negotiation theory, and noting orbital debris statistics—collectively cast the plan as ambitious but likely impractical rather than purely visionary.