This post was originally published on Data Center Knowledge
SpaceX has filed with the Federal Communications Commission for approval of an orbital, solar-powered data center constellation with up to one million satellites to support AI ambitions on Earth.
The Texas-based space exploration firm’s application shows the company’s plan would be the world’s largest such operation, dwarfing China’s proposed constellation of 200,000 satellites. The SpaceX system would rely on intersatellite optical links for communication between the satellites and Starlink spacecraft, which would transmit collected data to the ground.
SpaceX needs FCC approval because the satellites would operate in the Ka-band to provide backup for telemetry, tracking, and command. The data centers would remain in sunlight 99% of the time, providing near-constant solar power to ensure consistent compute capacity.
“By directly harnessing near-constant solar power with minimal operating and maintenance costs, these satellites will achieve transformative cost and energy efficiency while significantly reducing the environmental impact associated with terrestrial data centers,” SpaceX said in the filing.
“Launching a constellation of a million satellites that operate as orbital data centers is a first step toward becoming a Kardashev Type II civilization – one that can harness the sun’s full power – while supporting AI-driven
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