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

Musk is considering building spaceports and is in talks with Google about sending data centers into orbit. SpaceX is expected to list in June, with a valuation of $1.75 trillion.

On the 13th, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk again made provocative remarks, announcing plans to build “spaceports” worldwide and reports further said he is in talks with Google’s parent company Alphabet on a collaboration to send AI data centers onto Earth’s orbit. All these developments are paving the way for this year’s initial public offering (IPO) launching in June, with a valuation of over $1.75 trillion.

Starship Rocket aims for thousands of launches per year—one launch base is no longer enough

On Wednesday, SpaceX released an official statement saying the company’s goal is to launch Starship rockets “thousands of times” each year, while admitting that existing launch sites are completely unable to support such frequency. Musk wrote on X: “SpaceX is actively evaluating locations within the U.S. and multiple overseas sites in preparation for building the ‘world’s most advanced spaceport.’”

Image source: X/@elonmusk

The reason Starship can achieve such a launch rate lies in its design. Unlike traditional disposable rockets, Starship, paired 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 flying. Currently, Starship’s test flight operations are concentrated at the Starbase facility in Texas, while facilities in Florida are still under expansion. SpaceX has even begun converting two offshore oil rig platforms, “Deimos” and “Phobos,” into future offshore launch pads.

Google teams up with SpaceX—opportunities for space data centers come to the forefront

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal also 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 equipped with Google’s own TPU chips, with the first batch of prototype satellite launches planned to be completed as early as 2027 together with partner Planet Labs.

Google is not the only tech giant expressing 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 in Memphis, and it also clearly stated its interest in orbital data centers.

Interestingly, SpaceX has already completed the acquisition of Musk’s AI company xAI in February this year and integrated it into its internal AI division, actively moving into the computing power market. Reports indicate that SpaceX has also applied to regulatory authorities for authorization to launch up to one million satellites, to support the long-term operation of orbital data centers.

Are space 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. Terrestrial data centers face massive power consumption, difficulty in securing land, and community pushback, while SpaceX argues that space computing costs may be lower than those of ground facilities in the coming years.

However, challenges cannot be ignored: hardware heat dissipation, cosmic radiation, orbital maintenance, data transmission latency, and the currently extremely high deployment costs are all “walls” that must be crossed for this concept to become reality.

Countdown to the biggest IPO in history—SpaceX targets the secondary market

SpaceX’s expansion in its space business lands right at a critical period as the company pushes toward its IPO. Insiders say SpaceX expects to go public in June this year, targeting a valuation of about $1.75 trillion, with a fundraising size of up to $75 billion—potentially becoming the largest IPO in the world ever.

Starship’s 12th test flight is also expected to take place on May 19. It will be the first test of the next-generation booster and engine system, further confirming the feasibility of technical solutions for fully reusable commercial operations. At that time, SpaceX’s preliminary verification will determine whether its space exploration blueprint can become 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’s Ready for 1,000 Launches Every Year in Preparation for the IPO》
• Original author: Crumax