Making space travel as easy as flying! SpaceX plans to build a global spaceport, aiming to launch thousands of times a year

Musk plans to build a spaceport and is in talks with Google to move data centers into orbit. SpaceX is expected to list in June, valuing the company at $1.75 trillion.

Space company SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made another outlandish remark on the 13th, announcing that he plans to build “spaceports” worldwide, and it has also been reported that he is in talks with Google’s parent company Alphabet about collaborating to send AI data centers into Earth orbit. All these developments are paving the way for the company’s initial public offering (IPO) in June this year, with an estimated valuation of more than $1.75 trillion.

Starship Rocket Aims to Fly Thousands of Times a Year; One Launch Base Won’t Be Enough

On Wednesday, SpaceX released an official statement saying the company’s goal is to launch the Starship rocket “thousands of times” each year, and it acknowledged that existing launch facilities are completely unable to support such a frequency. Musk wrote on X: “SpaceX is actively evaluating locations within the United States and multiple overseas sites in preparation to build the ‘world’s most advanced spaceport.’”

Image source: X/@elonmusk

The reason Starship can achieve such launch volume lies in its design. Unlike traditional one-time rockets, Starship, together with the Super Heavy booster, can be quickly recovered and relaunched with very minimal maintenance, and its maximum single-launch payload exceeds 100 tons.

Musk compares future spaceports to modern airports—multiple flights per day and rapid redeployment—making interstellar travel as routine as taking a plane. Currently, Starship’s test-flight operations are concentrated at the Starbase base in Texas, while facilities in Florida are still under expansion. SpaceX has even begun retrofitting two offshore oil platform rigs, Deimos and Phobos, to serve as future offshore launch pads.

Google to Partner with SpaceX; Opportunities for Space Data Centers Come to the Fore

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal further revealed that Google is in talks with SpaceX regarding rocket launch contracts, with the aim of sending data center hardware into near-Earth orbit. This plan falls under Google’s research project “Project Suncatcher.” The project aims to deploy AI cloud computing facilities in orbit using solar-powered satellites carrying Google’s in-house TPU chips. The first batch of prototype satellite launches is expected to be completed as early as 2027, together with partner Planet Labs.

Google is not the only tech giant showing interest in SpaceX. Just a week ago, AI company Anthropic signed an agreement with SpaceX to use all computing resources of its Colossus 1 data center located in Memphis, and it also clearly expressed interest in orbital data centers.

What’s interesting is that SpaceX completed the acquisition of Elon Musk’s AI company xAI in February this year, and integrated it into its internal AI division to actively enter the computing power market. It is also reported that SpaceX has applied to regulatory authorities for approval to launch up to 1,000,000 satellites, to support the long-term operation of orbital data centers.

Are Space-Based Data Centers a Revolutionary Business Opportunity or a Distant Dream?

TechCrunch analysis points out that the concept of orbital data centers does have commercial logic. Ground-based data centers face enormous power consumption, difficulties in acquiring land, and community backlash, while SpaceX argues that the cost of space computing may be lower than that of terrestrial facilities within the next few years.

However, challenges also cannot be ignored: hardware heat dissipation, cosmic radiation, orbital maintenance, data transmission latency, and the currently extremely high deployment costs are all high barriers that must be overcome to turn this idea from a blueprint into reality.

Countdown to the Biggest IPO in History; SpaceX Targets the Secondary Market

SpaceX’s expansion in its space business lines up perfectly with a critical period for the company’s push toward an IPO. Insiders say SpaceX expects to go public in June this year, targeting a valuation of about $1.75 trillion. It plans to raise up to $75 billion, and it could become the largest IPO in the world in history.

Starship’s 12th test flight is also expected to take place on May 19. It will be the first to test the next-generation booster and engine system, further confirming the feasibility of fully reusable commercial operations. At that time, it will provide an initial verification of whether SpaceX’s blueprint for space exploration can become a reality.

• This article is reprinted with permission from: 《Chain News》
• Original title: 《Make Interstellar Travel as Routine as Flying! SpaceX Plans to Build Global Spaceports and Says It Will Prepare for Thousands of Launches Each Year for an IPO》
• Original author: Crumax