Musk said in an email to SpaceX employees on Monday that Starship will begin launching V3 Starlink satellites into orbit this year, as well as next-generation satellites that can directly connect to mobile devices. He said the launches would act as a "boost" to improve the performance of the Starships, allowing them to be reused faster to facilitate the deployment of data centers.
Musk wrote: "The sheer number of satellites required for space data centers will push the development of Starship to new heights. With one launch per hour and the ability to transport 200 tons of supplies per flight, Starship will deliver millions of tons of supplies to orbit and beyond every year, opening up an exciting future of human exploration of the stars and sea."
Musk told employees that launching 1 million tons of satellites every year, each generating 100 kilowatts of computing power, would add 100 gigawatts of artificial intelligence computing power every year, "without the need for ongoing operations or maintenance." Ultimately, Musk believes it is feasible to launch 1 terawatt per year of satellites from Earth.
Musk wrote: "I estimate that within two to three years, space will become the cheapest path to artificial intelligence computing. This cost benefit alone will allow innovative companies to train artificial intelligence models and process data at an unprecedented speed and scale, accelerating breakthroughs in our understanding of physics and inventing technologies that benefit humanity."
But acquiring an AI company and putting so much effort into building orbital data centers? Is this consistent with a Mars mission? Musk obviously thinks so.
“While launching AI satellites from Earth is the immediate focus, Starship’s capabilities will also enable us to conduct operations on other planets,” he wrote. "Thanks to technological advances such as space propellant transfer, starships will be able to deliver large quantities of cargo to the moon. Once they arrive on the moon, it will be possible to establish a permanent scientific research and manufacturing base. Factories on the moon can use lunar resources to manufacture satellites and deploy them further into space."
From there, he said, Mars is just around the corner.
"The capabilities we unlock by enabling space-based data centers will fund and support the establishment of self-developing bases on the moon, an entire civilization on Mars, and ultimately expansion across the universe," he wrote.
At least, that's his vision.