German tech firm signs €60m SpaceX solar cell deal
A medium-sized German technology company has struck a €60 million contract with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to supply solar cells for a new satellite line called Starmind. Singulus Technologies, based in Kahl am Main, Bavaria, announced the deal on Wednesday. Musk, the founder of SpaceX, said on X that this order is just the beginning of many.
Stock surge and strategic partnership
News of the agreement sent Singulus shares soaring by as much as 65% to 80%, pushing the company’s market value to around €73 million. That’s remarkable for a firm whose annual revenue in 2025 was only €48.3 million. The partnership involves plans for additional facilities and production lines, with a targeted solar power output of 100 gigawatts—equal to what ten large nuclear reactors generate in a year.
Singulus specializes in heterojunction solar cells, which are well suited for use in space. The company builds machines for photovoltaics, semiconductors, medical technology, packaging, glass, automotive, battery and hydrogen sectors. Lars Lieberwirth, a member of Singulus’s executive board, said the partnership with SpaceX allows the firm to scale up its capabilities and cement its position as a leading Western supplier of next-generation solar cell technology. Mike Nicolls, SpaceX’s senior vice president of Starlink, noted that combining Singulus’s process expertise with SpaceX’s long-term commitment creates a durable option for expanding solar production. The order will supply solar cells for the Starmind satellite manufacturing site in Texas starting in early 2027.
Starmind: AI in orbit
Starmind is envisioned as a constellation of satellites functioning as AI data centers in space. Musk has described the project as a way to create a “sentient sun.” The satellites will have solar wings 75 meters long and are designed to process AI data in orbit, then beam it to Earth via laser. In an FCC filing, Musk said these satellites will harness near-constant solar power with little operating or maintenance cost, achieving transformative cost and energy efficiency while reducing the environmental impact of terrestrial data centers.
Still, the technology remains unproven. Musk’s claim of launching one million satellites is unlikely—operators often request approval for more satellites than they need for design flexibility. Currently, only about 15,000 satellites orbit Earth, with Musk’s Starlink accounting for 9,500 of them. Google has similar plans to use satellites as computing units for AI calculations, powered by the sun.
