Musk Eyes Moon for AI Satellite Factory

Elon Musk recently convened an all-hands meeting for his AI company, xAI, to discuss a radical future plan: establishing a manufacturing facility on the moon. This lunar base would be dedicated to constructing AI satellites, which would then be deployed into orbit via a massive catapult. Musk asserted that this endeavor would grant xAI access to superior computing power, positioning it as a leader in the field.

The company's ambitious lunar goals are underpinned by a U.S. law enacted in 2015, which permits the ownership of resources extracted from celestial bodies, a notable exception to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty's prohibition on national territorial claims on the moon.

This announcement follows the recent departures of two xAI co-founders, bringing the total to six out of twelve founding members who have left the company. The strategic shift to lunar ambitions also marks a departure from SpaceX's historical focus on Mars, with Musk now citing the moon as a more attainable goal for colonization within a shorter timeframe.