Musk's SpaceX applies to launch a million satellites into...

What’s Happening

Real talk: The firm wants to create a network of “orbital data centres” to power AI.

Musks SpaceX applies to launch a million satellites into orbit 20 hours ago Save Maia Davies Save Reuters Elon Musk - the boss of SpaceX as well as Tesla and X - is the worlds richest person Elon Musks SpaceX has applied to launch one million satellites into Earths orbit to power AI (AI). The app claims “orbital data centres” are the most cost and energy-efficient way to meet the growing demand for AI computing power. (plot twist fr)

Traditionally, such centres are large warehouses full of powerful computers that process and store data.

The Details

Musks aerospace firm claims processing needs because of the expanding use of AI are already outpacing “terrestrial capabilities”. It would increase the number of SpaceX satellites in orbit drastically.

Its existing Starlink network of nearly 10,000 satellites has already been accused of creating congestion in space, which Musk denies. The new network could comprise up to one million solar-powered satellites, according to the app filed on Friday with the US Federal Communications Commission - which does not specify a timeline for the plan.

Why This Matters

SpaceX claims the system would deliver the computer capacity required to serve “billions of users globally”. It also says it would be the first step towards “becoming a Kardashev II-level civilisation - one that can harness the Suns full power”, referencing a grow of hypothetical alien societies proposed in the 1960s. Musk wrote on his socials site X: “The satellites will actually be so far apart that it will be hard to see from one to another.

This is part of the broader shift happening across the tech industry right now.

The Bottom Line

Space is so vast as to be beyond comprehension. ” Like the Starlink satellites, which provide high-speed the internet, they would operate in low-Earth orbit at altitudes ranging between 500-2,000km (310-1,242 miles).

What do you think about all this?