Rocket Launch New Plan! Musk's "Moon Slingshot" Concept Includes Two Major Core Infrastructures

To make deploying AI-specific data center satellite networks more convenient, Elon Musk’s latest idea is to launch satellites from the Moon to Earth’s orbit using electromagnetic catapults.

This concept involves two main infrastructure components: first, a satellite assembly plant built on the Moon’s surface for local manufacturing; second, a giant electromagnetic launcher responsible for precisely sending satellites into low Earth orbit.

This is not Musk’s first time proposing a lunar mission this year. In early February, during an all-hands meeting at his AI company xAI, he outlined a blueprint for a lunar satellite factory, stating that the company needs to build a factory on the Moon to produce AI satellites, with a massive space-based launcher capable of sending AI satellites into space. He plans to achieve uncrewed lunar landing by March 2027 and has shifted SpaceX’s focus toward building a “self-developing city” on the Moon, which he believes can be realized in less than ten years.

Behind this seemingly crazy “space expansion” idea is Musk’s deep anxiety over the contradiction between computing power and energy in the AI era. At the 2026 World Economic Forum, he stated that the fundamental constraint on AI deployment is electricity. Currently, AI chip production is growing exponentially, but power supply growth is slow, hindering the efficiency of AI data center training and deployment. He believes Earth’s energy supply can no longer meet the exponential growth of AI infrastructure, and space, with its inexhaustible solar energy, is an ideal solution to this bottleneck.

Recently, SpaceX submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy a system of up to one million satellites in low Earth orbit, creating an on-orbit data center network to support high-performance computing needs like AI. According to the application, these satellites are planned to operate at altitudes of approximately 500 to 2,000 kilometers, powered by solar energy, mainly communicating with each other via lasers and connecting to the company’s Starlink satellite internet to ensure high-speed data transfer. This approach can reduce operational and maintenance costs and lessen the environmental and energy burdens of traditional ground data centers.

What is electromagnetic catapult?

Electromagnetic catapult is a new launch technology that accelerates objects to ultra-high speeds using electromagnetic force. It converts electrical energy into kinetic energy for efficient launching, fundamentally different from traditional chemical rockets, representing a new approach to rocket launches. It’s akin to building a “zero-stage booster” on the ground that accelerates the rocket to supersonic speeds before ignition, potentially reducing launch costs by 90% to below $500 per kilogram.

Thanks to rapid reset and charging capabilities, electromagnetic launch systems support multiple dense launches per day, which is beneficial for increasing launch frequency—strategically important for deploying large constellations. Additionally, because electromagnetic launch rockets eliminate the first-stage booster, they save fuel and enable reusability, significantly improving payload ratio and reducing the cost per launch.

The core principle of electromagnetic launch technology is to use strong Lorentz forces to propel objects. The system typically consists of rails or coils; when a high current passes through them, it generates a moving electromagnetic field. The “launcher” or payload in the middle of the track experiences a powerful thrust, accelerating along the rails until reaching a preset high speed and then detaching.

This technology has already seen exploration on Earth. For example, Lianchuang Optoelectronics completed delivery and acceptance of a “High-Power Low-Temperature Refrigeration System and Model Superconducting Magnet Development Service” project by the end of 2025, marking its first engineering order in commercial space electromagnetic launch. GalaxySpace has initiated the “Vesta 2” project, using electromagnetic launch technology to lift rockets weighing 100 tons with a payload capacity of 3.5 tons; the electromagnetic launch rocket is scheduled for its first flight in Ziyang in 2028. Xiangdian Corporation’s technology has been applied to China’s Fujian aircraft carrier electromagnetic launch system, and the company is transferring its mature naval electromagnetic launch tech to space.

Musk’s concept of “lunar electromagnetic launch” involves using the Moon as a launch base. This has significant theoretical advantages: first, the Moon’s gravity is only one-sixth that of Earth, and it has no atmosphere, so launching the same weight requires much less energy; second, the abundant solar energy on the Moon can provide continuous, clean power for the launch system; third, launching from the Moon can avoid the increasingly crowded near-Earth space and space debris.

In simple terms, lunar electromagnetic launch is theoretically feasible and offers advantages that traditional fuel-based launches cannot, but turning this idea into reality faces formidable technical challenges.

First is engineering scale. It is estimated that the length of such an electromagnetic launch system could reach several kilometers. Building such a massive facility on the Moon would first require establishing a permanent human base and transporting thousands of tons of construction materials—an unprecedented feat for humanity.

Second is launch precision. Although electromagnetic launch is highly efficient, the acceleration process is extremely intense. Designing a sufficiently gentle acceleration curve to ensure that delicate AI electronic equipment is not damaged by the high g-forces during launch is a major challenge.

Third is energy demand. The lunar version would need to accelerate satellites to over 2.2 km/s to escape the Moon’s gravity, requiring enormous amounts of electrical energy per launch. Building a power grid capable of supporting high-frequency launches on the Moon is another unknown.

(Source: Cailian Press)