Elon Musk has set his sights on something that sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi blockbuster: turning humanity into an 'alien society'. The world's richest man often makes bold claims, but his latest proposal may be his most ambitious yet. In a move that sounds like it was ripped straight from the pages of a futuristic novel, Musk is looking to clutter the cosmos in the name of artificial intelligence.
Elon Musk's aerospace company, SpaceX, has officially applied for permission to launch a staggering 1 million satellites into Earth's orbit. This isn't just about faster internet or better GPS; Musk frames this massive undertaking as the essential first step towards humanity evolving into a 'Kardashev II-level civilisation'.
How Elon Musk Plans To Build an 'Alien Society' With Orbital Data Centres
The core of this audacious plan relies on what Musk terms 'orbital data centres'. The Tesla CEO asserts that moving digital infrastructure into space is essential to keep pace with the rapid advancements in modern technology. He claims these space-based hubs are the most cost-effective and energy-efficient solution to meet the exploding demand for AI.
Musk maintains that current methods on Earth are no longer sufficient. Currently, AI-powered centres are vast warehouses on Earth, packed with powerful computers that guzzle electricity and water. SpaceX asserts that the processing needs driven by the ever-expanding use of AI are already outpacing 'terrestrial capabilities'. By moving this hardware into orbit, Musk believes we can deliver the computer capacity required to serve 'billions of uses globally'.
This transition is key to his vision of an 'alien society'. The term references the Kardashev scale, a method proposed by a Soviet astronomer in the 1960s to measure a civilisation's level of technological advancement. A Type II civilisation can harness the sun's full power—something Musk believes his 1 million satellites will help us achieve.
Why Critics Fear 1 Million Satellites Will Cause Chaos in the Skies
Whilst the vision is grand, the reality of putting that much hardware into the sky has experts worried. SpaceX already operates a Starlink network of almost 10,000 satellites, which provide high-speed internet to remote corners of the globe. Despite its current fleet, SpaceX faces accusations of causing space congestion and inciting fears of collisions that could render orbit unusable.
Musk, however, remains dismissive of these concerns. Defending the plan on his social media site X, he wrote: 'The satellites will actually be so far apart that it will be hard to see from one to another. Space is so vast as to be beyond comprehension.' Despite his assurances, experts have previously cautioned against the growing number of hardware in orbit because of the possibility of crashes between objects. It remains an expensive and complex undertaking, yet Elon Musk has previously rejected claims that his satellites were taking up too much room and crowding out competitors.
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The Environmental Promise of an 'Alien Society' Infrastructure
SpaceX claims there is a green angle to this celestial expansion. The proposed satellites would operate at low-Earth orbit altitudes, ostensibly offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional data centres. Earth-based facilities require enormous amounts of power to run and vast quantities of water for cooling systems.
By moving this heat-generating infrastructure into the cold vacuum of space, Musk argues we can mitigate the environmental toll on our planet whilst taking the first steps towards that hypothetical 'alien society'.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
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