Spacex Files Federal Request To Launch 1 Million Ai Data Center Satellites Into Orbit

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If you thought constructing massive AI information centers that devour energy and h2o astatine a monumental standard was a recklessly short-sighted idea, Elon Musk is prepared to up nan ante. SpaceX revenge a petition pinch nan Federal Communications Commission past week to motorboat 1 cardinal AI information centers into orbit. The astronomical fig would beryllium larger than each of nan man-made objects presently circling Earth. However, it's doubtful that this is moreover feasible.

China has nan aforesaid notion, but that doesn't beryllium feasibility by a agelong shot. This ill-conceived task whitethorn simply beryllium a justification for nan $1.25 trillion valuation assigned to the merger of SpaceX and xAI. According to The Verge, nan task claims that placing AI information centers successful orbit is an environmentally friends replacement to accommodation connected Earth. The power-hungry satellites would beryllium fed done sunlight. However, this position ignores nan utmost somesthesia variations successful space. In debased Earth orbit, it tin get arsenic acold arsenic -240 degrees Fahrenheit successful nan shadiness and arsenic basking arsenic 300 degrees successful nonstop sunlight. Engineers would request to creation a fail-safe strategy to support heat-generating information centers wrong safe operating temperatures. The institution seems much concerned pinch recreating a subject fabrication fantasy. SpaceX stated successful its filing:

"Launching a constellation of a cardinal satellites that run arsenic orbital information centers is simply a first measurement toward becoming a Kardashev Type II civilization — 1 that tin harness nan sun's afloat powerfulness — while supporting AI-driven applications for billions of group coming and ensuring humanity's multiplanetary early among nan stars."

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Before you conjure fears of a Musk-controlled computing Dyson sphere, it's wide believed nan FCC petition is conscionable nan starting constituent to negotiations wherever national regulators yet o.k. a overmuch smaller number of satellites. It's highly improbable that SpaceX could moreover assistance 1 cardinal satellites into orbit. Of nan 15,000 satellites successful orbit, complete 9,600 are portion of nan Starlink constellation. While nan backstage abstraction institution has nan capacity to motorboat thousands of Starlink box-sats per year, each only has a five-year lifespan.

Orbit is only getting much and much crowded arsenic different backstage companies and sovereign nations effort to found a footing connected nan celestial precocious ground. A Chinese abstraction institute applied to nan International Telecommunication Union to motorboat astir 200,000 satellites. The African federation of Rwanda has applied for support to run much than 327,000 satellites. While it's simply permission, a precocious number of objects successful orbit could origin a catastrophic cascading disaster if 2 satellites collided.