SpaceX is preparing a constellation of one million AI satellites — Forbes
SpaceX’s ambitious plan to launch up to one million AI-powered satellites into orbit as early as 2028 has sparked serious debate among scientists and space industry experts.
The new initiative involves creating orbital data processing centers that will function as space-based systems for artificial intelligence models.
Some researchers warn that the project could become “economically unfeasible” and even cause financial problems for the company, writes Forbes.
The idea is to potentially deploy technologies such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini systems directly in space.
According to estimates by some researchers, implementing the project could cost around $2 trillion if current satellite launch and manufacturing technologies are used.
For comparison, the company already has about 10,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, but the new plan exceeds that scale by a hundredfold.
Experts note that even under optimistic scenarios, the mass deployment of a million satellites would require an unprecedented launch frequency—up to one launch per hour.
Leading space researchers emphasize that the current economics of launches make such initiatives questionable.
One of them, Dr. Robert Zubrin, believes that space-based AI data centers “will not be able to compete with ground-based infrastructure in terms of cost.”
He also stresses that even with the use of SpaceX’s reusable Starship rockets, scaling up to a million satellites is “extremely risky” and could deplete the company’s financial resources.
“Launching an orbital constellation of a million satellites is a fantasy,” Robert Zubrin stated.
The idea of space-based data centers is seen as the next step after the Starlink network, which already provides connectivity for millions of users.
However, experts emphasize that moving computing centers into space is significantly more complex and expensive than telecommunications satellites.
Some studies suggest that, provided launch costs drop sharply, space-based computing systems could become competitive by the middle of the next decade. However, this remains only a theoretical scenario for now.
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