With AI data centers moving into orbit, the power of the Beast could one day hover over every home.
(See update below)
Martin Mawyer
Earlier this week, I wrote about how I couldn’t even get a remote-controlled foam plane to lift off while my ten-year-old granddaughter could fly it like she was a Top Gun pilot.
Well, here’s something else I know I can’t do.
If I can’t launch a toy plane without divine wind assistance, there’s no way I could launch an AI supercomputer in space.
But Elon Musk says he can.
Yes, but should we really be surprised? Musk wants to build “space-based AI compute,” a fancy way of saying AI data centers floating in orbit around Earth.
Here’s an Amen we could probably all agree upon: This is truly out of this world.
Both the idea and Musk himself, and the technology.
Now, beyond sounding amazing, it should also sound like something else.
Alarming.
Because, as with every new marvel, we tend to get so dazzled by the spectacle that we miss the danger hiding behind it.
I am not saying Musk has some dark plan for Earth.
I am saying this:
The idea of orbiting AI supercomputers is exactly the kind of invention the Beast would love circling over your home.
When a piece of technology leaves Earth’s laws, Earth’s governments, and Earth’s limits, you’d better believe it deserves the attention of Watchmen.
So, what is Musk actually trying to do?
Here’s the short version.
Last year, Tesla shut down its big AI supercomputer project called Dojo. The whole team disbanded, the leaders quit, and everyone assumed the idea was dead and buried.
Then this week, Musk suddenly pops up and says:
Actually, never mind. We’re bringing it back.
Not for cars.
Not for robots.
Not for anything on Earth.
We’re putting the next one in space.
I imagine the engineers at Tesla felt the same way I did watching Lexi fly her foam plane.
“Wait… he’s asking us to do what?”
According to Musk, he wants a new generation of chips that can work inside satellites or space stations. These would act like an orbiting brain, far above the clouds, training and running artificial intelligence nonstop.
No need to plug into the power grid. No worries about the weather. No overheating. Just endless sunlight and nothing in the way.
Sounds impressive.
But here is the question every Watchman should ask next.
Why put AI in space at all?
This is the part that we need to understand. And it’s simple.
AI on Earth has limits.
It takes enormous amounts of electricity. Cities are already complaining that the power demands from new AI centers are overwhelming their grids.
It takes massive cooling.
It produces heat like a steel furnace.
And governments want to regulate it, monitor it, and limit what it can do.
So, what’s the solution if you’re Elon Musk?
Simple.
Put the whole thing where no government can touch it.
Above the laws.
Above the regulators.
Above the nations.
Above the grid itself.
There is something unsettling about that, even if Musk’s intentions are good.
Because once an AI brain is orbiting the Earth, who exactly is in charge of it?
Who can unplug it?
Who can monitor what it’s doing?
No one, really. Possibly not even Musk.
That is where our “awe of technology” should give way to something far more important… discernment.
But isn’t this just science fiction?
I wish it were.
Musk already controls the rockets.
He already controls Starlink.
And here’s the part most people don’t know:
Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, has also said he wants AI data centers in orbit.
In other words, this is not a wild idea.
This is the next frontier in a race that is already underway.
And Elon Musk has a colossal advantage.
He already controls the only company on Earth that can launch massive hardware into space cheaply and repeatedly. Furthermore, he can land it safely (well, most of the time), and then launch it again like toasters launch toast.
No one else can do that.
Not NASA.
Not China.
Not Europe.
So, if someone is going to build an orbiting AI brain, Musk is first in line with the keys to the only rocket capable of hauling that kind of weight.
What does this mean for ordinary Americans?
Let me break this down the way I would explain it to a friend over coffee.
Right now, all AI is still tied to planet Earth.
It runs on our electricity.
It sits in our buildings.
It operates under our laws.
Meaning, if something goes wrong, or someone abuses it, there are at least some levers, some brakes, some guardrails.
But once it is in space?
The brakes are gone.
The guardrails are gone.
And no one can walk into a building and say, “Unplug that thing before it does something crazy.”
A supercomputer circling the Earth is harder to reach than astronauts stranded on a space station.
And remember, the next generation of AI is not some little chatbot answering trivia questions.
These systems will be smarter, faster, and more influential than anything we have ever seen in our lifetimes.
So here are the real-world concerns:
- Who oversees an AI brain in orbit?
Nobody knows.
There is no legal framework. - Who makes sure it is used responsibly?
No regulator can go into space. - What happens if it behaves in ways humans cannot predict?
You cannot exactly “turn it off and turn it back on again.” - What happens when one billionaire owns the only ladder that reaches it?
You are trusting one man with the most powerful technology in history.
I do not say that to create fear.
I say it because we need to pay attention.
Why Christians, especially, need to be Watchmen right now
I am not calling Musk the Beast. Let me be crystal clear about that.
But the Bible repeatedly warns about powers that rise above nations, and technologies that seek dominion over humanity. We are told to stay alert. To watch. To discern. (Matt. 24:24)
And when something enormous appears on the world stage, Christians should not shrug and say, “Well, that’s neat.”
An intelligence circling the Earth. Free from the laws of nations. Free from the authority of governments, but can be controlled by an international government. And free from the oversight of the people.
That is precisely the kind of development Scripture urges believers to keep their eyes on.
Because the danger is not who launches the first space-based AI.
The danger is what happens when someone less trustworthy launches the second one.
Once the technology exists, every nation on Earth will want it.
Every corporation will chase it.
Every tyrant will dream of it.
This is not science fiction. This is foresight.
And foresight is the job of Watchmen.
A few days ago, my granddaughter’s little foam plane got stuck on our roof.
No harm done. The wind blew it down. We laughed. Life went on.
But an AI super-data center circling the Earth… sending signals, shaping information, influencing nations, and possibly crashing malicious data straight through the roof of your home?
That kind of harm might never be undone.
Don’t Miss Out. The stories and analysis on our website are just the beginning. Our Substack newsletter offers a deeper look into our mission, featuring exclusive content and behind-the-scenes updates that you won’t find anywhere else. Join thousands of readers by subscribing for free.
🔔 Update: The Scale Just Became Staggering
February 1, 2026
Since I first published this article, the story has escalated.
SpaceX has now reportedly filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission seeking approval for up to one million satellites designed to function as orbital AI data centers.
Let that number settle in.
Not dozens.
Not hundreds.
Not even thousands.
One million.
These would not merely expand Starlink-style internet coverage. According to reports, they would serve as space-based computing infrastructure, powered by solar energy, designed to support the rapidly growing demands of artificial intelligence systems.
The stated reasoning is practical. Terrestrial data centers are straining electrical grids. Cooling demands are rising. Land use is becoming controversial. Space offers uninterrupted solar power and natural heat dissipation.
From an engineering standpoint, it is clever.
From a civilizational standpoint, it is transformative.
When I first wrote about orbiting AI compute, it sounded ambitious. This filing reframes it as infrastructure. It moves the concept from experimental to architectural.
If even a fraction of that number were approved and deployed, it would represent the largest expansion of orbital hardware in human history. Low Earth orbit would no longer just host communications satellites. It would host planetary-scale computing.
And here is what matters.
Artificial intelligence is no longer just software running in a warehouse in Texas or Virginia. It is becoming physical, strategic infrastructure. Whoever controls that infrastructure controls the most powerful decision-making engines ever built.
This is no longer theoretical.
Other major players, including leaders at OpenAI, have publicly discussed the possibility of space-based data centers as well. The race is not imaginary. It is accelerating.
Approval is not guaranteed. Deployment at that scale may never happen. Orbit is already crowded. International coordination would be required. Technical hurdles remain significant.
But the filing itself signals intent.
And intent matters.
Watchmen do not wait until the system is fully built before they speak. They pay attention when foundations are being laid.
If AI infrastructure moves from Earth to orbit, we are witnessing not just a technological milestone, but a shift in where power physically resides.
Above the nations.
Above the grid.
Above the reach of ordinary citizens.
Whether that ultimately serves freedom or control will depend on who governs it, who oversees it, and what safeguards are established before it is too late.
That is why this is worth watching now, not later.
Martin Mawyer is the President of Christian Action Network, host of the “Shout Out Patriots” podcast, and author of When Evil Stops Hiding. For more action alerts, cultural commentary, and real-world campaigns defending faith, family, and freedom, subscribe to Patriot Majority Report.