Why did SpaceX simply apply to launch 1 million satellites?

We’re solely a month into 2026, but it’s already clear what one of many main house tales of the 12 months goes to be: mega-constellations, and the continuing makes an attempt to launch hundreds of satellites into Earth’s orbit.

The newest improvement is that SpaceX has requested the US Federal Communications Fee (FCC) for permission to launch 1 million orbital information centre satellites. The request is unprecedented. The earlier largest submitting with the FCC, additionally by SpaceX, was for 42,000 Starlink satellites in 2019.

“That is past what’s been proposed by any constellation,” says Victoria Samson on the Safe World Basis within the US.

SpaceX already operates the most important fleet of satellites in orbit, the Starlink web constellation, which makes up about 9500 of the 14,500 satellites in orbit – however the fleet represents simply 1 per cent of SpaceX’s deliberate orbital information centre satellites. These Starlink satellites alone are already making circumstances in orbit hazardous, with SpaceX having to dodge 300,000 collisions in 2025.

Within the firm’s newest filing on 30 January, and in addition shared in an update written by CEO Elon Musk, SpaceX mentioned it desires to develop huge orbital information centres in house to energy AI. “Launching a constellation of 1,000,000 satellites that function as orbital information facilities is a primary step in direction of changing into a Kardashev II-level civilization,” Musk wrote, referring to the Kardashev scale, a technique proposed by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964 to measure the technological prowess of a civilisation.

The concept of launching information centres into house, the place they’ll get uninterrupted daylight, has grown in recognition over the previous few years as vitality calls for for AI have skyrocketed. In November 2025, the US firm Starcloud launched an indication information centre into house containing a sophisticated Nvidia chip, whereas the European Fee just lately conducted a study that mentioned orbital information centres had been achievable.

Musk mentioned launching the constellation can be doable utilizing SpaceX’s reusable Starship rocket that’s at the moment beneath improvement, probably the most highly effective rocket in historical past. “With launches each hour carrying 200 tons per flight, Starship will ship tens of millions of tons to orbit and past per 12 months, enabling an thrilling future the place humanity is out exploring amongst the celebs,” he wrote.

The submitting preceded the announcement on 2 February that SpaceX would purchase xAI, one other of Musk’s firms that owns the social media website X and the controversial Grok chatbot. “If AI is what they need the orbital information centres for, then it’s a little bit of a bundled package deal,” says Ruth Pritchard-Kelly, an skilled in satellite tv for pc regulation within the US.

SpaceX isn’t alone in its ambition to place many extra satellites into orbit. On 29 December, China submitted an software with the Worldwide Telecommunications Union (ITU), a United Nations physique that allocates parts of the radio spectrum in house, to launch 200,000 satellites into orbit. Whereas there is no such thing as a outlined restrict on what number of satellites can safely be launched, earlier research have urged it is perhaps doable to function millions of satellites in orbit, though something above 100,000 is taken into account to develop into extraordinarily arduous to handle.

It can take the FCC months to determine whether or not to approve SpaceX’s request, throughout which period it should open the appliance to public feedback, whereas a separate submitting can even must be made with the ITU. If the FCC does approve it, SpaceX would usually be given a deadline of six years to deploy half the constellation – a requirement normally stipulated by the FCC – however SpaceX has requested for this requirement to be waived as a result of it argued the satellites would largely talk by optical hyperlink, and never trigger interference in radio.

SpaceX mentioned it will function the satellites between 500 and 2000 kilometres in altitude on barely polar orbits, largely above the place Starlink at the moment operates. The dimensions of every proposed satellite tv for pc is unknown however, presuming they’re comparable in measurement to present Starlink satellites and every Starship may carry about 100 such satellites, it will take 10,000 Starship launches to finish the constellation.

Presuming a launch each hour, as urged by Musk, it will take simply over a 12 months to deploy 1 million satellites. SpaceX says it will protect the security of Earth orbit by inserting the satellites into “disposal orbits” on the finish of their life both excessive above Earth, the place it will take centuries for them to fall again to the planet, or into an orbit across the solar.

Musk’s proposed mega-constellation would have a big impression on astronomy. SpaceX mentioned in its software it will “proceed its lengthy monitor document of profitable collaboration and innovation with the scientific and astronomy neighborhood”. Nonetheless, in December, Alejandro Borlaff at NASA Ames Analysis Heart in California and his colleagues discovered that adding 500,000 satellites to Earth’s orbit would imply “almost each single telescope picture obtained from the bottom or house will probably be contaminated by satellites”, says Borlaff, impacting scientific discovery.

Orbital information centre satellites is perhaps even brighter than many present satellites as a result of they might not solely require giant reflective photo voltaic panels to generate energy but additionally giant radiators to expel warmth into the vacuum of house, like these on the Worldwide Area Station.

Whether or not SpaceX is severe about launching 1 million satellites is one other query: it would as an alternative be one thing of a joke by Musk, says Pritchard-Kelly, given the absurdity of the quantity. “It’s gobsmackingly giant,” she says. “It may simply be for shock and awe”, with the true variety of deliberate satellites prone to be a lot decrease. SpaceX and the FCC didn’t reply to a request for remark.

The historical past and way forward for house exploration: US

Embark on a rare journey by the center of the US’s house and astronomy landmarks, designed for curious minds and lifelong learners.