Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk said over the weekend that the commercial space flight giant could prepare to build orbital data centers as soon as next year, but short seller Jim Chanos remains skeptical about the CEO’s claims.



<h2>Elon Musk’s Orbital Data Center Goal</h2>



On Saturday, Musk got into a social media back-and-forth with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on X after Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) filed a lawsuit against the AI company, saying that it had allegedly stolen trade secrets via job interviews. Musk revived his criticism of Altman, saying that he had taken scamming to “a whole new level.”



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Amidst the fiery accusations, Altman retorted, saying that Musk was selling public investors the idea of orbital AI compute, questioning the practicality of the goal. Musk responded by saying that SpaceX will “start flying them next year.”



Chanos expressed skepticism about Musk’s claims. “[Narrator: This week’s 13th test flight of Starship is still not planned to reach full Earth orbit.],” the short seller said in his post on X on Sunday.



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<blockquote>[Narrator: This week’s 13th test flight of Starship is still not planned to reach full Earth orbit.] $SPCX https://t.co/Umjm2FJMgx— James Chanos (@RealJimChanos) July 12, 2026</blockquote>
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<h2>SpaceX Touts Starlink V3</h2>



SpaceX said that the upcoming 13th Starship flight test would also see over 20 Starlink V3 satellites be deployed with the test. “Starship is planned to deploy 20 satellites which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with ground stations in South Africa and the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers,” SpaceX said.



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Analyst Aaron Burnett, the founder of Mach 33, an investment firm aimed at Space technology, hailed the launch as a “significant inflection in Starlink V3 ramp,” which would also translate to a “global bandwidth capacity ramp,” Burnett said via a post on X.



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<blockquote>Missed this first time around. 20 real Starlink V3 sats. Will deploy solar arrays and antennas and attempt ground station connection. Very big test toward functional Starlink V3 deployments by ~EoY. First functional launch is significant inflection in Starlink V3 ramp which is… https://t.co/OvoR5adzIQ— Aaron Burnett (@aaronburnett) July 11, 2026</blockquote>
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SpaceX also said that the satellites would provide information on the rocket’s heat shields. “Six of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators,” the company said. The launch is expected to take place on Thursday, July 16.



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Benzinga Edge Rankings show SpaceX fails to provide a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term.



Price Action: SpaceX shares were up 0.43% to $145.92 during the after-hours session on Friday.



Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.



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Elon Musk announced SpaceX plans to launch orbital data centers next year, sparking skepticism from short seller Jim Chanos who cited Starship's current inability to reach full Earth orbit. Meanwhile, SpaceX prepares for its 13th Starship test flight to deploy 20 Starlink V3 satellites, aiming to enhance global bandwidth and test heat shields. Despite these developments, Benzinga Edge Rankings indicate unfavorable price trends for SpaceX stock.

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Elon Musk Says SpaceX Will Fly Orbital Data Centers Next Year—Jim Chanos Isn't Buying It