According to Techcrunch, SpaceX's dossier submitted to the US Federal Communications Commission proposes launching a maximum of 1 million solar-powered satellites. These satellites are described as operating as data centers in orbit, to meet the growing demand for computing capabilities for AI.
In the submitted document, SpaceX believes that bringing computing infrastructure into space is an effective way to expand the scale of data processing, and considers this the first step towards a longer-term goal, including exploiting solar energy at a large scale and building a foundation for the multiplanetary future of humanity.
However, according to The Verge's analysis, the proposal to launch up to 1 million satellites is unlikely to be approved immediately. This number is likely to be just the starting point for the negotiation process with regulators. Previously, the US Federal Communications Commission only allowed SpaceX to launch 7,500 more Starlink satellites, and at the same time postponed considering nearly 15,000 other satellites in the network expansion proposal.
According to the European Space Agency, there are about 15,000 artificial satellites operating around Earth. The rapid increase in the number of satellites has raised concerns about space pollution and the risk of collisions from orbital debris.
SpaceX's new proposal was made in the context of major technology corporations accelerating plans to deploy space infrastructure. Amazon is also currently applying to extend the deadline with the US Federal Communications Commission for the project to launch more than 1,600 satellites, citing a lack of missiles to meet initial progress.
