SpaceX To Put Nvidia AI Chips In Orbit: Musk Sets 2027 Launch

SpaceX plans to launch its first artificial intelligence (AI) satellites equipped with Nvidia technology in the fourth quarter of 2027, founder Elon Musk said on Monday. He added that the satellite fleet is expected to reach “significant scale” in 2028.

Musk made the announcement in a post on X while resharing Nvidia’s post about the partnership. He said SpaceX and Nvidia had designed a space-optimised version of Nvidia’s Vera Rubin NVL72 system for launch into orbit.

Nvidia said SpaceX plans to use the technology to speed up AI-related tasks including orchestration, code execution and data processing. The chipmaker said its first-generation Starmind AI satellite will be based on the space-optimised Vera Rubin NVL72 system.

How Nvidia Technology Will Power SpaceX Satellites

The Vera Rubin NVL72 is a rack-scale AI computing system that combines Nvidia GPUs, CPUs and networking components. Nvidia said the system is designed to handle the demanding computing requirements of next-generation AI applications.

The company said SpaceX will use Vera to support agentic AI, which involves AI systems carrying out tasks with less direct human intervention. The system is expected to help process data and manage computing workloads in orbit.

Musk had earlier said SpaceX would rely entirely on Nvidia technology for its planned AI infrastructure in space. The latest announcement gives a more specific timeline for the first satellite launches and points to a larger deployment in 2028.

SpaceX Plans AI Data Centres In Orbit

The satellite plan is part of SpaceX’s broader push to develop data centres in space. The company has been exploring orbital computing as an alternative to traditional data centres on Earth.

SpaceX has previously indicated that its orbital data centres could begin launching as early as 2028. Bloomberg reported that Musk later brought forward the expected timeline, saying the systems could launch as soon as next year.

SpaceX has also filed with the US Federal Communications Commission for approval to launch a network of roughly one million satellites aimed at carrying out complex AI computing in orbit. The scale of the proposed network highlights the company's ambitions for space-based computing.