SpaceX to increase space-based solar power tenfold every few years
Elon Musk has confirmed a steady exponential growth in solar power generation on Starlink satellites. According to him, this trend will continue for many years. SpaceX has already succeeded in deploying massive solar panel capacity in space via the Starlink system. This is reported by Ixbt.com .
Current estimates suggest that while the first generation (Gen1) of 3,000 satellites provided 10 megawatts of power, the second generation (Gen2), comprising about 7,000 satellites, is already delivering 100 megawatts. With the launch of the third generation (Gen3), this figure is expected to reach 1,000 megawatts.
Such rapid growth is due to the increasing size, efficiency, and number of Starlink satellites. The development of solar energy is directly linked to SpaceX's ambitious plans to create orbital data centers for artificial intelligence.
Deploying powerful computing clusters in space will allow for offloading significant demand from terrestrial power grids. These centers, powered directly by solar energy in orbit, will become a key infrastructure element for training future AI models.
To realize these goals, Elon Musk's company is building a massive 10-gigawatt solar panel factory near Austin, Texas. This serves as the terrestrial foundation for the energy revolution in space.
