On Friday, when SpaceX filed plans with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a million-satellite data center network, you might have thought Elon Musk was having a bit of fun with us. But a week later, it is clear that he is dead serious. The most obvious step, of course, is the formal merger between SpaceX and xAI that went forward on Monday, officially drawing together Musk's space and AI ventures in a way that makes a lot more sense if there's some kind of joint infrastructure project planned. But even beyond the merger, we're starting to see the idea of orbital AI data clusters ' essentially, networks of computers operating in space ' cohere into an actual plan. On Wednesday, the FCC accepted the filing and set a schedule seeking public comment. It's a pro forma step normally, but FCC chairman Brendan Carr took the unusual step of sharing the filing on X. Throughout his tenure as chairman, Carr has shown himself eager to help Trump's friends and punish his enemies '...
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