SpaceX has officially unveiled plans to deploy an ambitious network of orbital data centers, by filing with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on launch to 1 a million satellites. This system is being developed to provide computing power for artificial intelligence (NE) directly in orbit, which will make it possible to use solar energy almost continuously and reduce the load on terrestrial power grids.
Technical characteristics of data center satellites
According to the latest data, SpaceX plans to use as specialized satellites, and updated versions of Starlink:
Satellite model: Elon Musk showed an illustration “AI Village Mini”, which may exceed in size 170 meters in length (more for Starship V3).
Energy supply: Each such satellite will have huge solar panels, capable of generating up to 100 kW of power for powering AI processors.
Cooling system: A large radiator with an area of approx 100 square meters.
Communication:
The use of optical laser channels between satellites for data transmission at a speed of up to 1 Tbit/s (with the potential to exceed 6 Tbit/s in the future).
Data will be transmitted to Earth via the existing Starlink network, which will provide global coverage.
Ka-band equipment will be used for telemetry and control.
Orbit and deployment options
Height: The satellites will operate in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 500 to 2 000 km.
Two types of orbits: with a slope 30 degrees and sun-synchronous orbits to maximize exposure to sunlight.
Launch schedule: The first satellites of the new generation Starlink V3, which will become the basis of this infrastructure, scheduled for launch in the first half 2026 year using the Starship rocket.
Advantages and challenges
Economy: SpaceX claims, that free from ground constraints, orbital centers will be the cheapest way to generate computing power for AI over the next few years.
Environmental friendliness: The system will avoid huge costs of water for cooling, necessary for terrestrial data centers.
Criticism: Astronomers express serious concern about that, what 1 a million brightly lit objects in high orbits will make nighttime observations impossible and increase the risk of space debris.
Source: https://spacenews.com