Google prepares first in-orbit test of AI chips for Project Suncatcher

Google plans to launch a prototype satellite next week for its first in-orbit test under Project Suncatcher, a research effort examining whether space could host large-scale AI computing infrastructure, according to an iTnews report published on September 25, 2026.

The mission is scheduled to fly on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare launch in partnership with satellite company Planet Labs, iTnews reported. Ars Technica, in a September 24 report, said the launch was planned for October 1.

The satellite will carry Google Tensor Processing Units, or TPUs, into low Earth orbit to assess how the AI chips withstand launch forces, radiation and extreme temperatures, according to iTnews. The test is intended to gather in-orbit data and identify potential failure points, rather than demonstrate an operational orbital data centre.

Planet Labs, in a primary company post dated November 4, 2025, said it would build and operate an advanced space platform for Project Suncatcher and deploy two prototype satellites for Google, targeting a launch by early 2027. Planet described Project Suncatcher as a long-term research initiative to explore scalable machine learning compute systems in space using Google TPUs and solar energy.

The latest secondary reports indicate Google has added an earlier prototype mission ahead of the two-satellite test. Ars Technica reported that the first satellite, described as MVP, is about the size of a refrigerator and contains four Google TPU AI accelerators. It said the spacecraft was built by Planet Labs, with Google’s AI hardware integrated inside.

Google has tested its TPUs while running AI workloads at a University of California, Davis facility, but orbital testing is needed to understand performance in the real environment, iTnews reported. Space radiation can disrupt or degrade electronics and cause data errors known as bit flips.

Cooling is another focus of the experiment. iTnews reported that Google will evaluate a design combining heat pipes with radiators to cool power-intensive chips in the vacuum of space, where airflow cooling cannot be used. Ars Technica reported that Google’s test system uses thermal interface material connected to aluminium and copper heat pipes to move heat into a radiator.

The broader idea behind Project Suncatcher is to use near-continuous sunlight in low Earth orbit to power energy-intensive AI computing. iTnews noted that companies including SpaceX and Starcloud are also pursuing plans for data centres in low Earth orbit, partly to avoid terrestrial electricity constraints.

However, iTnews reported that experts have said the concept remains years from commercial viability because of launch costs, engineering constraints and satellite production bottlenecks.

Planet said the planned two-satellite mission would test the viability and performance of Google TPUs in space, as well as high-bandwidth cross-link communications between spacecraft flying in tandem. iTnews reported that Google aims to launch two satellites in 2027 to test the high-bandwidth laser links needed to connect future computing clusters.