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SpaceX Files for One Million Orbital Data Center Satellites: The Kardashev Vision | Taha Abbasi
Taha Abbasi··4 min read
Taha Abbasi has tracked SpaceX’s orbital ambitions from Starlink’s first satellites to the current constellation of 9,500+ spacecraft. But the FCC’s acceptance of SpaceX’s application to deploy up to one million orbital data center satellites represents a leap in ambition that dwarfs everything before it — and could redefine how humanity computes.
One Million Satellites: The Filing
The Federal Communications Commission’s Space Bureau formally accepted SpaceX’s application for a new non-geostationary satellite system designated the “SpaceX Orbital Data Center system.” The proposed constellation would operate at altitudes between 500 and 2,000 kilometers, using optical inter-satellite links for data transmission.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr highlighted the filing on X, noting that the system’s stated purpose is to serve as “a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization — one that can harness the Sun’s full power.” The FCC has opened the proposal for public comment, with a deadline in early March 2026.
Taha Abbasi notes that the Kardashev reference is not typical regulatory language. SpaceX is explicitly framing this as civilizational infrastructure, not just a commercial venture.
What SpaceX Is Actually Proposing
According to the FCC release, the orbital data center system would operate alongside SpaceX’s existing Starlink constellations. The satellites would connect with each other and with first- and second-generation Starlink satellites using high-bandwidth optical laser links. Traffic would be routed through space-based laser networks before being transmitted to authorized ground stations.
In practical terms, this is a distributed computing network in orbit. Rather than concentrating AI training and processing in terrestrial data centers that require massive energy infrastructure and cooling systems, SpaceX proposes moving computation to space where solar energy is abundant and continuous.
Why Space-Based Computing Makes Sense
As Taha Abbasi analyzes it, the engineering logic is compelling:
- Unlimited solar energy: In orbit, solar panels receive uninterrupted sunlight (no clouds, no night cycle in certain configurations). Energy is the primary constraint for AI training — removing that constraint changes the economics fundamentally.
- Natural cooling: Space provides a natural heat sink. Terrestrial data centers spend enormous energy on cooling systems. In orbit, radiative cooling is essentially free.
- No land constraints: Building data centers on Earth requires land acquisition, permits, water rights, and grid connections. Orbital deployment bypasses all of these.
- Global latency optimization: A distributed orbital network can route computation to the optimal location for any user on Earth, potentially reducing latency for global AI services.
The xAI Connection
The timing of this filing — shortly after SpaceX’s acquisition of xAI — is not coincidental. xAI’s cash burn rate is accelerating as it scales AI training infrastructure. The Colossus supercomputer cluster requires enormous energy and cooling. Orbital data centers could provide virtually unlimited computational capacity powered by solar energy.
For Taha Abbasi, this represents the most compelling synergy in the SpaceX-xAI merger. SpaceX provides the launch infrastructure to deploy the satellites. xAI provides the AI workloads that justify the investment. Together, they create a computing platform that no terrestrial competitor can match.
Starship Makes It Possible
Deploying one million satellites would be impossible with current launch vehicles — except Starship. Each Starship launch can carry significantly more payload than any existing rocket, and Musk has stated that Starship carrying Starlink satellites could increase network capacity by “more than 20 times” per launch. With rapid reusability driving launch costs down, the economics of deploying a million-satellite constellation become feasible.
This is why Starship’s development is so critical. It is not just a Moon or Mars vehicle — it is the industrial backbone that makes orbital data centers, mega-constellations, and space-based manufacturing economically viable.
Regulatory and Technical Challenges
The filing includes several waiver requests from standard NGSO requirements, including exemptions from certain milestone and surety bond obligations. The sheer scale — one million satellites — raises legitimate concerns about space debris, orbital congestion, and interference with astronomical observations.
These are not trivial challenges. But SpaceX has demonstrated with Starlink that it can manage large constellations, implement collision avoidance, and deorbit satellites responsibly. Scaling from 9,500 to one million will require an entirely new approach to space traffic management, but the regulatory conversation is now officially underway.
The Civilization Scale
As Taha Abbasi sees it, this filing is SpaceX declaring its intent to build computing infrastructure at a civilizational scale. Not a company. Not an industry. A civilization. The Kardashev II reference — a civilization that harnesses the full energy output of its star — is the long-term destination. Orbital data centers powered by solar energy are the first step.
The FCC comment period is open. The future of computing may be decided in orbit.
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About the Author: Taha Abbasi is a technology executive, CTO, and applied frontier tech builder. Read more on Grokpedia | YouTube: The Brown Cowboy | tahaabbasi.com
Taha Abbasi
Engineer by trade. Builder by instinct. Explorer by choice.
