Driverless Cars Fuel Race for Satellites That Can Host Big Data

Automakers are looking to the heavens for the next generation of car technology.

Satellites, such as those scattered across the skies by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, are emerging as a key tool to handle the huge amounts of data that cars will need to drive themselves. Autonomous vehicles will generate as much as 40 terabytes of data an hour from cameras, radar, and other sensors—equivalent to an iPhone’s use over 3,000 years—and suck in massive amounts more to navigate roads, according to Morgan Stanley.

Space X’s Starlink satellites passing over Uruguay on Feb. 7.

Photographer: Mariana Suarez/Getty Images

Although most new cars come with a modem under the dashboard and receive data ...