After Starlink, Meet Starmind: Musk's Plan To Launch One Million AI Satellites In Orbit

Elon Musk has confirmed that “Starmind” will be the official name of SpaceX’s ambitious artificial intelligence satellite network, a project that could eventually place up to one million AI-powered satellites in orbit.

The confirmation came after a trademark filing by xAI surfaced earlier this week. When an X user asked whether Starmind would be the name of SpaceX’s proposed AI satellite constellation, Musk replied with a single word: “Yes.”

According to plans submitted to US regulators, Starmind is envisioned as a vast network of satellites equipped with onboard AI processors. Unlike traditional satellite systems that primarily transmit data, the proposed constellation would perform computing tasks directly in space.

How Starmind differs from Starlink?

According to a report by Teslarati,

while Starmind and Starlink would share a similar orbital infrastructure, their functions are expected to be very different. Starlink is designed to provide internet connectivity by relaying data between locations on Earth.

Starmind, by contrast, would act as a space-based computing network capable of processing AI workloads in orbit.

Under the concept, satellites would run AI models, process queries and generate results before transmitting the information back to users on Earth. This could reduce dependence on conventional ground-based data centres and create a new source of computing power from space.

SpaceX first revealed details of the project’s hardware earlier this month through a satellite platform known as AI1. The company said a fully deployed satellite could stretch up to 70 metres across, making it wider than a Boeing 747’s wingspan. Each satellite is expected to deliver substantial computing power through onboard processors powered by large solar arrays.

The satellites would be linked through high-speed optical communications, allowing them to exchange data and coordinate computing tasks while in orbit. Processed information would then be routed through the existing Starlink network and delivered to ground stations around the world.