SpaceX targets orbital AI test launch

SpaceX plans to begin testing artificial intelligence data centres in orbit by late 2027, accelerating Elon Musk’s push to turn the company’s satellite and launch network into a new layer of global computing infrastructure.

The programme would move part of the AI computing race beyond land-based data centres, where power shortages, grid constraints, cooling costs and local opposition have become major obstacles for technology companies. The first demonstration missions are expected to test whether high-performance chips can operate reliably in space, communicate through optical links and use solar power at a scale that could support commercial AI workloads.

The plan places SpaceX at the centre of a fast-expanding contest between launch providers, cloud companies, chipmakers and AI developers. Musk has argued that orbital computing could benefit from abundant solar energy and avoid many of the physical limits facing terrestrial data centres. SpaceX’s existing Starlink network gives the company operational experience in building, launching and managing large satellite constellations, but AI data centres in orbit would demand far greater power, thermal control and hardware resilience.

The first orbital AI satellite is expected to rely on Nvidia chips and deliver computing capacity comparable to a high-end AI server rack on Earth. The spacecraft design under discussion would use solar arrays for power, radiators for heat management and laser links or Starlink connectivity for data transfer. Musk has said the system can draw heavily on technology already developed for Starlink, though the economic case remains unproven.

SpaceX has sought US regulatory clearance for a future constellation that could ultimately include up to one million satellites operating as orbital data centres. Such a scale would far exceed current satellite deployment levels and would intensify scrutiny from regulators, astronomers, environmental researchers and rivals concerned about orbital congestion. The company’s proposal frames the system as a way to meet surging AI demand without relying solely on Earth-based power grids.

The timetable is tied closely to Starship, SpaceX’s fully reusable heavy-lift rocket. Starship is central to Musk’s cost assumptions because large-scale orbital computing would require frequent launches of heavy satellites, replacement hardware and supporting systems. Delays in Starship development would therefore slow any commercial roll-out, even if early demonstrations succeed.

The project is also becoming part of SpaceX’s broader investor pitch as the company seeks to expand beyond rockets, Starlink broadband and government launch contracts. AI infrastructure has become one of the most valuable themes in global markets, with cloud providers spending heavily on chips, power agreements and data-centre campuses. SpaceX is positioning itself as a company that can combine launch dominance, satellite manufacturing, power from space and high-speed communications into a new computing platform.

Google is pursuing a parallel effort through Project Suncatcher, which aims to test solar-powered satellites equipped with its Tensor Processing Units. That mission, planned with Planet Labs around 2027, is designed to examine how machine-learning hardware performs in orbit and whether satellites can work together through optical inter-satellite links. The overlap suggests that space-based compute is moving from speculative theory into early engineering trials, though commercial viability remains uncertain.

The technical hurdles are significant. AI chips generate intense heat, and space offers no air or water cooling systems of the kind used in terrestrial data centres. Heat must be radiated away, requiring large surface areas and careful design. Radiation can damage electronics, while hardware failures in orbit are far harder to repair than failures in a warehouse-scale data centre. Latency, data transfer costs and cybersecurity will also shape whether customers see orbital AI compute as practical.

The regulatory questions may prove just as difficult. A million-satellite architecture would raise concerns about collision risks, space debris, radio-frequency coordination and the brightness of objects crossing the night sky. Astronomers have already warned that very large constellations can interfere with observations, while space-safety experts have urged stronger traffic-management rules as low Earth orbit becomes more crowded.