SAN FRANCISCO, CA — In a move that feels ripped from the pages of hard science fiction, Elon Musk has unveiled a bold new vision for the future of artificial intelligence: a self-sustaining satellite factory on the Moon, powered by electromagnetic launch systems.

The “Catapult” Concept
During a recent all-hands meeting at xAI—the artificial intelligence company recently integrated with SpaceX—Musk reportedly laid out an ambitious roadmap. He argued that the immense power and cooling requirements of next-generation AI models would soon outstrip Earth’s capabilities.

To solve this, he proposed:

A Lunar Factory: Constructing a facility on the Moon to manufacture satellites dedicated to AI computation.

The “Mass Driver”: Utilizing a massive electromagnetic catapult—essentially a modern “mass driver”—to launch these satellites directly from the lunar surface into orbit, bypassing the extreme costs and logistics of launching everything from Earth’s deep gravity well.

From Mars to the Moon
This strategy represents a significant shift for Musk, who has spent the last two decades famously focused on Mars as humanity’s ultimate destination. While he maintains that Mars remains the long-term aspiration, he described the Moon as a necessary “stepping stone” for the near future, citing the feasibility of building a self-sustaining lunar presence within a decade—far faster than the timeline for a Martian colony.

The Integration of Space and AI
The proposal follows the recent corporate merger of SpaceX and xAI. Musk views the synergy as essential: SpaceX provides the launch capacity and infrastructure, while xAI provides the cognitive load. By moving the “compute” off-planet, Musk believes he can access nearly unlimited solar energy, effectively solving the “power-hunger” of large-scale AI models.