TIME Cover: Shotwell Reveals AI Satellite FCC Filing and IPO Plans

SpaceX President & COO Gwynne Shotwell appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in a sweeping profile that revealed major corporate developments. Shotwell confirmed SpaceX had filed with the FCC for a license to operate up to 1 million AI-powered orbital data center satellites — solar-powered compute nodes designed to process AI workloads from space. 'I'm surprised that didn't get more news,' Shotwell told TIME. She confirmed the SpaceX–xAI merger announced February 2, 2026, and stated she formally took on an xAI representative role as of March 5, 2026. On the long-anticipated IPO, Shotwell said: 'I'm not supposed to talk about the IPO in any way, but I'm looking forward to it.' Bloomberg separately reported that SpaceX is scheduling 'testing the waters' investor meetings in April, with a confidential S-1 filing expected as soon as late March or early April 2026 ahead of a June IPO targeting up to $75 billion in proceeds. Combined SpaceX + xAI valuation was cited at $1.25–1.75 trillion. SpaceX also reported 10 million+ active Starlink customers across 160 countries.