Elon Musk offers details on SpaceX orbital data center plan amid IPO

Elon Musk offers details on SpaceX orbital data center plan amid IPO

Elon Musk offers details on SpaceX orbital data center plan amid IPO

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/06/12/elon-musk-spacex-orbital-data-center-ai-satellites/90520416007/

Publish Date: 2026-06-12 11:43:00

Source Domain: www.usatoday.com

  • Elon Musk plans for SpaceX to launch up to 1 million AI satellites into orbit to establish orbital data centers using artificial intelligence.
  • The AI satellites aim to be much larger but simpler than the current Starlink satellites.
  • The demonstration launches for the AI satellites are planned to begin by late 2027, with full deployment starting as early as 2028.
  • This project coincides with SpaceX’s record-breaking initial public offering, which aims to fund these ambitious ventures.
  • Musk envisions orbital data centers as a more efficient alternative to ground-based data centers due to cost, space requirements, and environmental impact factors.
  • The development of this satellite technology involves integrating the AI startup xAI, known for the Grok chatbot.
  • For comparison, SpaceX has already deployed around 10,000 Starlink broadband internet satellites since 2019.
  • The IPO raised $75 billion, making it the largest in history and potentially making Musk the world’s first trillionaire.