Summary
Elon Musk's SpaceX has applied to launch up to one million satellites into Earth's orbit to support artificial intelligence processing. The plan involves creating "orbital data centres" using these satellites, which SpaceX claims would be more energy-efficient than traditional data centres. The application does not give a timeline, but the satellites would operate in low-Earth orbit.
Key Facts
- SpaceX wants to launch one million satellites into orbit to support AI computing.
- These satellites would join the existing Starlink network, which provides internet services.
- SpaceX suggests these "orbital data centres" would be more energy-efficient than current data centres on Earth.
- The satellites would work in low-Earth orbit, at heights between 500-2,000 kilometers.
- SpaceX claims this system could serve billions of users worldwide.
- There are concerns about the risk of collisions and space debris with more satellites in orbit.
- Some astronomers have said that Starlink satellites interfere with their research.
