Elon Musk has unveiled plans for an AI satellite factory on the Moon featuring a massive catapult to launch satellites into space. The scheme emerged from an xAI meeting with employees and was reported by The New York Times. The billionaire's vision involves creating a massive orbiting AI 'data center' powered by solar energy and cooled by the vacuum of space.

Musk claims this lunar infrastructure is essential for building advanced AI capabilities, telling employees 'you have to go to the moon.' The catapult would need to achieve speeds around 3,800 MPH or five times the speed of sound to reach escape velocity, comparable to electromagnetic railguns that launch projectiles at Mach 8.8. Any satellites would need to withstand acceleration forces around 10,000 g.

This represents a dramatic shift from Musk's previous stance, as he once called the Moon 'a distraction' and claimed SpaceX would go 'straight to Mars.' Now he believes a 'self-growing city on the Moon' is achievable in under 10 years, compared to over 20 years for Mars. However, Musk's ambitious timelines have historically proven unreliable - he once predicted cargo missions to Mars by 2022 aboard a rocket still being tested in 2026. The plan faces enormous technical and logistical challenges, given that no lunar colony or factory has ever been established.