SPACE.com (13 March 2026)

SpaceX plan for 1 million orbiting AI data centers could ruin astronomy, scientists say

​SpaceX's plan to launch one million orbiting data centers to space worries astronomers,who say the satellite streaks caused by the proposed constellation would severely impair observations.

Just as astronomers began to learn how to coexist with broadband megaconstellations in low Earth orbit (LEO), such as SpaceX's Starlink, a new threat has emerged, causing significant concerns. Elon Musk's envisioned constellation of one million orbital data centers would result in possibly tens of thousands of moving objects as bright as stars that are visible in the night sky at any given moment, even to the naked eye, according to astronomer and dark sky consultant John Barentine.

Read more: ​https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/spacexs-1-million-orbiting-ai-data-centers-could-ruin-astronomy-scientists-say