Say hello to Elon Musk's mega new SpaceX facility an 11-million-square-foot Gigasat factory will look to build hardware for orbiting data centers, and targets 1 GW/year of space AI compute by late 2027

Date:
Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:05:00 +0000

Description:
SpaceX unveils 11 million square foot Texas factory intended to build AI satellites supporting ambitious orbital computing plans.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter SpaceX plans a massive factory dedicated to producing AI satellites. New AI1 spacecraft could bring
computing power directly into orbit. Musk wants orbital computing capacity measured in gigawatts annually. SpaceX has unveiled plans for an enormous manufacturing complex in Bastrop, Texas, that could become central to its ambitions for space-based AI infrastructure.

The proposed Gigasat facility would cover around 11 million square feet and focus on producing satellites designed to function as orbiting data centers . SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claims the Bastrop facility will manufacture much of the hardware required for a new generation of AI satellites. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: SpaceX factory dedicated to orbital AI infrastructure The site will include production lines for solar components, printed circuit boards, electronic systems, communications equipment, and the satellites themselves.

SpaceX plans to also include testing facilities, logistics infrastructure, warehousing capacity, and dedicated development areas across the facility.
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At the center of the project is a new spacecraft known as AI1, which the company intends to manufacture in large numbers as a space-based computing platform.

Musk said each satellite would carry a compute payload capable of delivering ~150kW of processing capability while relying on extensive solar arrays for power generation. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners
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The satellite is also expected to span roughly 70 meters in length, with
solar arrays generating power at a density of approximately 250 watts per square meter.

Its design also incorporates large radiator structures intended to manage the significant heat generated by onboard computing systems.

SpaceX expects solar manufacturing activities at the site to begin first, while construction of the primary satellite production building is scheduled to follow. What to read next Google and SpaceX are reportedly in talks to build data centers in orbit Nvidia wants to power the next generation of data centers in space Big Tech eyes orbital data centers for "near continuous" solar power

The company believes the facility could begin producing substantial numbers
of AI satellites before the end of 2027.

Achieving the stated goal of 1GW of annual orbital AI compute capacity would require the deployment of thousands of satellites operating collectively in orbit.

This is what we are going to try to do and think we probably can do, which is to get to roughly an annualized rate of a gigawatt per year by the end of
next year, Musk said while discussing the companys objectives. Ambitious growth plans The long-term vision extends well beyond the initial 1GW objective, and Musk has outlined aspirations to increase production in subsequent years, reaching tens of gigawatts.

He also discussed the possibility of achieving even larger scales if future technology developments support such expansion.

Those ambitions emerge as major technology companies continue investing heavily in conventional AI facilities.

Meta's planned Hyperion data center in Louisiana is expected to scale to 5GW and house around 2 million GPUs.

Similarly, xAI's Colossus 2 facility in Memphis has expanded to nearly 2GW with approximately 555,000 GPUs.

Some of the largest announced projects require enormous electrical capacity and investments ranging from tens of billions to more than $100 billion in infrastructure.

Against that backdrop, orbital data centers are increasingly attracting attention as a possible alternative approach for supporting future computational demand.

SpaceX may hold certain advantages because many technologies required for large-scale satellite production already exist within its broader operations.

Much of that experience comes from the company's extensive work designing, manufacturing, and deploying Starlink spacecraft over several years.

Producing solar arrays, satellite structures, communications hardware, and related systems relies largely on established aerospace manufacturing processes.

The Gigasat facility is also expected to be more than 10x larger than Starfactory, currently SpaceX's largest spacecraft manufacturing complex.

Those requirements differ significantly from advanced semiconductor fabrication, making some aspects of the project more achievable within the proposed timeframe.

Whether the company ultimately reaches its longer-term objectives remains uncertain, particularly given the immense scale implied by future expansion plans. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to
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