SpaceX Orders €60 Million Production Line from Germany’s SINGULUS for Starmind Satellites
Technology
SpaceX has signed a contract worth more than €60 million with Germany’s SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES for a production line to manufacture heterojunction solar cells. The equipment is intended for the company’s Starmind satellite production site in Texas, with the first line scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2027.
The agreement covers a turnkey line for heterojunction (HJT) solar cells. SINGULUS said on 10 November that the contract is part of a strategic partnership that envisages further production lines. The German company will also develop high-performance cells and the equipment needed to manufacture them.
SpaceX is expanding satellite manufacturing in Bastrop, Texas. SINGULUS said production equipment would be scaled to support more than 100 gigawatts, but did not clarify whether this refers to annual output or total capacity. Starmind is intended to provide orbital infrastructure for artificial intelligence computing.
Heterojunction cells use multiple semiconductor layers to convert sunlight into electricity. SINGULUS executive board member Lars Lieberwirth said the partnership would allow the company to industrialise its technologies at scale and strengthen its position as a Western supplier of next-generation solar cell technology. Mike Nicolls, SpaceX’s senior vice-president of Starlink, said SINGULUS’s process expertise and SpaceX’s long-term commitment would support expanded production.
Starmind satellites are intended to function as orbital data centres for AI. SpaceX materials say the spacecraft will have solar wings spanning about 75 metres and transmit computing results to Earth via laser links. Elon Musk has called the concept a “sentient sun”. In a filing with the US Federal Communications Commission, he said steady solar power could reduce costs and environmental impact compared with ground-based data centres.
The effectiveness of orbital computing has yet to be demonstrated. Google is also exploring solar-powered computing systems in space. Media reports said SINGULUS shares temporarily rose by 65–80 percent after the deal was announced.
SpaceX is expanding satellite manufacturing in Bastrop, Texas. SINGULUS said production equipment would be scaled to support more than 100 gigawatts, but did not clarify whether this refers to annual output or total capacity. Starmind is intended to provide orbital infrastructure for artificial intelligence computing.
Heterojunction cells use multiple semiconductor layers to convert sunlight into electricity. SINGULUS executive board member Lars Lieberwirth said the partnership would allow the company to industrialise its technologies at scale and strengthen its position as a Western supplier of next-generation solar cell technology. Mike Nicolls, SpaceX’s senior vice-president of Starlink, said SINGULUS’s process expertise and SpaceX’s long-term commitment would support expanded production.
Starmind satellites are intended to function as orbital data centres for AI. SpaceX materials say the spacecraft will have solar wings spanning about 75 metres and transmit computing results to Earth via laser links. Elon Musk has called the concept a “sentient sun”. In a filing with the US Federal Communications Commission, he said steady solar power could reduce costs and environmental impact compared with ground-based data centres.
The effectiveness of orbital computing has yet to be demonstrated. Google is also exploring solar-powered computing systems in space. Media reports said SINGULUS shares temporarily rose by 65–80 percent after the deal was announced.
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