After Ars wrote a story on the potential of autonomous assembly to construct large data centers in space, Musk responded on X by saying that Starlink satellites could be used for this purpose.
“Simply scaling up Starlink V3 satellites, which have high speed laser links would work,” he said on the social media site X. “SpaceX will be doing this.”
Musk’s interest in space-based data centers significantly raises the profile of the nascent industry. Proponents of the idea say the advantages are clear: free, limitless power from the Sun and none of the messy environmental costs of building these facilities on Earth (where opposition is starting to grow). Critics say it is economically impractical to build these facilities in space and that supporters underestimate the technology needed to make it work.
They’re in low orbit to minimise ping, like anything in low orbit they die after running out of propellant
Things in medium orbits also die when they run out of ability to raise their orbit (notably the ISS, if left alone it would fall to earth in several decades), the low orbits make cleanup of the exhausted satellites happen quickly
All in all it’s a good thing
If you like the thought of burning large quantities of tech at high altitudes as a business model.
I like it a lot more than satellites that become long lasting space junk