Elon Musk Pushes Space Data Centers After $400 Million Election Bet Fails

3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Nov 4

Democratic wins in Texas and nationwide — including by candidates critical of data centers — triggered a burst of calls from Elon Musk and other tech figures to move future computing projects into space.
Musk posted that orbital facilities looked "pretty appealing" after Democrats took the House and Senate, while investors, AI researchers and industry boosters echoed support for space- or even underwater-based data centers.
Google, SpaceX, Blue Origin and startups such as Starcloud are already testing the idea, with SpaceX targeting thousands of AI satellites from late 2027 and Blue Origin seeking approval for a 50,000-satellite orbital system.
Texas policy shifts could still be limited: Republicans retain the state Senate, developers have strong vested-rights protections, and many data centers sit in unincorporated areas where counties lack broad zoning power.
Even so, advocates say governors, regulators and lawmakers could tighten oversight, reallocate agency resources or give counties limited authority over data centers, keeping political pressure on the industry despite the technical and cost hurdles of orbit.