Elon Musk plans to launch solar-powered data centers into orbit as early as 2027, with larger deployments expected in 2028, according to Ron Baron, CEO of Baron Capital. SpaceX’s project, called Starmind or AI1, would target peak computing power of 120 to 150 kW per satellite, with solar-array efficiency of approximately 250 W/m². Passive cooling in space could provide an advantage over terrestrial facilities that require substantial amounts of water. SpaceX has asked the Federal Communications Commission for approval to deploy up to one million satellites, but no regulatory approvals or customer contracts had been confirmed as of November 2026. In parallel, the company is targeting 5 to 10 GW of terrestrial data-center capacity by 2027, while skeptics question the near-term economic competitiveness of orbital computing.
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