Musk's SpaceX applies to launch 1m satellites into orbit 31.01.2026

Elon Musk's SpaceX has submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission to launch up to one million satellites into Earth's orbit, proposing these as "orbital data centres" to meet the escalating demand for artificial intelligence (AI) computing power. The company argues that this approach is more cost and energy-efficient than traditional terrestrial data centres, which are struggling to keep pace with AI's processing needs. These solar-powered satellites would operate in low-Earth orbit, similar to SpaceX's existing Starlink network, and are intended to serve billions of users globally, representing a step towards harnessing the Sun's full power. This ambitious plan, filed on Friday, has raised concerns about space congestion, similar to those previously directed at the Starlink constellation, and potential interference with astronomical observations.














