Satellite Swarm Instead of Cloud Data Centers
Elon Musk apparently has a Plan B in case Earth becomes too small for his ambitions. While other companies are still arguing over 5G, SpaceX has filed with the FCC for one million orbital data centers. This is not just a technical milestone but also a logistical challenge: where do you park a million satellites without blotting out the night sky?
Starcloud, backed by NVIDIA, plans to follow with 88,000 satellites. Blue Origin remains rather modest with 51,000. But the real question is: who controls the orbit when three private companies suddenly clutter the sky? The answer could be: first come, first served—and then it gets tight for everyone else.
Experts are already talking about a new "space junk class." The satellites are supposed to be able to repair and recycle themselves to keep the orbit clean. Whether that works when thousands of devices fail simultaneously is questionable. But one thing is certain: space will soon be much fuller—and much less quiet.
