SpaceX signs Singulus deal for solar cell line to power Starmind AI satellites

German solar equipment maker Singulus Technologies has signed a contract with SpaceX to supply a turnkey heterojunction (HJT) solar cell production line for the company's satellite factory in Bastrop, Texas, with delivery of the first line scheduled for the first half of 2027. The companies plan to add further lines.

Capacity target above 100 GW to back satellite output

Singulus said production would scale to support more than 100 GW of production equipment as SpaceX accelerates satellite manufacturing in Bastrop. It did not say whether the figure refers to annual or cumulative capacity, or how many lines that would involve. Mike Nicolls, SpaceX's senior vice president of Starlink, said the partnership gives SpaceX a high-performance manufacturing path for solar cells for its Starmind satellites at the Texas facility.

Starmind: moving computing into orbit

Starmind is SpaceX's space-based artificial intelligence satellite programme: the satellites run computing in orbit powered by solar energy, with results sent back to Earth via Starlink. SpaceX confirmed the signing in a post on its official X account on Tuesday. Chief executive Elon Musk said in January that SpaceX and Tesla were each working to build 100 GW a year of solar manufacturing capacity in the United States, far above current US production, tied to the push for solar-powered computing in space.

Partnership began in March, with two rounds of SpaceX funding

The two companies entered their strategic partnership in March 2026, and SpaceX provided significant funding to Singulus that month and again in October through a subordinated secured loan, without disclosing the amounts. Lars Lieberwirth, a member of Singulus' executive board, said the company's platform, which combines wet chemistry, vacuum coating and thermal processing, would help industrialise next-generation solar cell technology and strengthen its position as a leading Western supplier. Sources: pv magazine; Singulus Technologies; SpaceX.