SpaceX has submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking approval to deploy up to one million satellites. The company plans to create an “orbital data center” powered by solar energy to provide large-scale computing capacity for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The satellites would operate within narrow orbital bands, each spanning up to 50 kilometers.
This proposal represents a significant increase compared to the current number of satellites in orbit. SpaceX recently reached a milestone with its 11,000th Starlink satellite launch, with approximately 9,600 satellites currently active. The FCC has previously approved smaller expansions of the Starlink constellation but is expected to review and potentially reduce the scale of this new request.
**Why this matters**
The initiative highlights growing demand for AI computing resources and explores space-based infrastructure as a potential solution. If approved and implemented, the project could transform how AI workloads are managed by leveraging solar-powered satellites, potentially reducing operational costs and increasing computing efficiency. However, the scale of the deployment raises questions about space traffic management and regulatory oversight.
Source: NewsData