SpaceX plans an 11-million-square-foot factory for orbital AI compute

SpaceX has outlined an 11-million-square-foot Gigasat factory in Bastrop, Texas, for producing satellites intended to operate as orbital AI data centers. The company is targeting one gigawatt of space-based AI compute capacity per year by late 2027 and says it wants to manufacture more than 6,000 AI satellites annually. The proposed AI1 satellites would carry roughly 150 kilowatts of compute and use large solar arrays and radiators. These are extraordinarily aggressive company targets, not demonstrated production capacity, and the economics, launch cadence, heat rejection, networking, and reliability challenges remain unresolved. Still, the scale of the proposed factory makes orbital compute a serious infrastructure strategy rather than only a seed-stage concept, and it connects SpaceX's launch business directly to the AI compute race.

Key details: June 9, 2026, 11-million-square-foot Gigasat factory, Bastrop, Texas, Target: 1GW of orbital AI compute per year by late 2027, Target: more than 6,000 AI satellites annually, Company roadmap, not achieved capacity.

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