Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX wants to put into orbit a network of data centers that could increase the number of satellites in orbit from less than 20 thousand to more than a million in the next nine years.
This plan stands out in the portfolio that Musk presented to investors in the request for SpaceX’s initial public offering (IPO) – the shares, priced at US$135, begin trading on the market this Friday (12) at 9:30 am. The company raised US$75 billion in the largest IPO in history
The data center business could be worth US$2.4 trillion, estimates the company, which aims to begin launches in 2028. Astronomers oppose the project and say there would be more illuminated satellites in the night sky than visible stars by 2035.
They criticize damage to the visibility of stars in the night sky, possible effects on the sleep cycle of animals due to night lighting, environmental damage due to the millions of space launches necessary to keep the technology working, in addition to the lack of rules for such an undertaking.
The astronomy professor at the University of Regina, in Canada, Samantha Lawler carried out a simulation, at the request of the report, of the effect that the new satellite constellation would have on the sky of São Paulo. During the summer solstice on December 21, when solar illumination reaches its peak in the Southern Hemisphere, the number of visible SpaceX satellites would jump from zero to 14,072.
“We still underestimated the sizes of the satellites, according to the data that SpaceX later presented after the FCC comment period closed,” Lawler said. At the latitude of Canada, where the original study was carried out, the number of satellites would approach 40,000 – compared to around 5,000 visible stars.
The project still depends on a license from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), an American regulatory body under the control of Donald Trump. In February, the agency sent Musk’s proposal for public evaluation in record time: four days between the delivery of the documents and the opening for comments in March. A startup backed by Google and Nvidia, Starcloud, made a similar order to SpaceX for 88,000 satellites in early February, but there has not yet been a public consultation.
This interval usually takes weeks to months, according to astronomers and competitors interviewed by the report. They say the proposal should not even be accepted due to the lack of details about the satellites and their orbital trajectories.
Most people who already knew about the project before the IPO were against the idea during the FCC’s decision-making process in March. The process brought together 1,533 petitions from 1,464 people and entities, including award-winning astronomers, environmentalists, specialized journalists and night observation enthusiasts. In approximate numbers, ten out of every 11 positions are against the project.
One of SpaceX’s arguments for seeking permission would be that sending computers into space would result in water and electricity savings. The other is that the network of satellite data centers would deliver digital services with low latency across the world. In traditional complexes, the further away the service provider is, whether it is a payment via Pix or access to a streaming film, the longer it takes for processing to take place.
These, says Musk’s company in its presentation document to the financial market, will be the pillars of the future of artificial intelligence.
Today, launching satellites requires permission only from the local telecommunications regulator – in the case of SpaceX, this is the FCC. American standards do not include criteria for evaluating sky lighting or the risk of satellite reentry.
Proponents, mostly Americans who do not mention research credentials, argue for saving water by reducing demand for aboveground data centers.
In a document sent to the FCC, Musk’s company states that its data centers would be in an orbit such that radiation would be available to generate solar energy almost all the time.
Astronomy professor Hanno Rein of the University of Toronto calls the environmental advantages cited by SpaceX to defend its space data center “the biggest greenwashing in history.” That is, a false sustainability advertising strategy.
According to the astronomer, there would be launches in an unprecedented quantity if the FCC approves the request. “As the chips needed in artificial intelligence become obsolete quickly, this equipment would have to be replaced frequently.”
Rein says that each space launch releases large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A single Falcon 9 flight had emissions estimated at 28 thousand tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to a study by Glasgow Caledonian University.
The satellites, says Rein, will still be larger than SpaceX’s current models to ensure the generation of solar energy and cooling through radiation, since there is no water or air in space.
Unlike the freezing scenes of astronauts on Mars in science fiction films, temperatures in Earth’s orbit can be high depending on the level of exposure to the sun. The chips generate a lot of heat and, without cooling, they fry when they exceed 90 degrees Celsius.
Because of the global effect of the satellite launch, the release is the responsibility of an international entity subordinate to the UN (United Nations), the ITU (International Telecommunication Union). However, member countries decided that the approval of new satellites would be delegated to local bodies, such as the FCC and Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency).
“The FCC can simply release 1 million satellites to an American company, in current terms each national entity has this power”, summarizes Lucas Fonseca, the CEO of the aerospace company Airvantis.
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Source: www.noticiasaominuto.com.br
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