Google’s AI satellite prototype set to launch October 1

Google is set to launch a prototype satellite carrying artificial intelligence chips into orbit on October 1, as part of Project Suncatcher, a research effort exploring whether AI computing infrastructure could eventually operate in space.

Google is set to launch a prototype satellite carrying artificial intelligence chips into orbit on October 1, as part of Project Suncatcher, a research effort exploring whether AI computing infrastructure could eventually operate in space.

The satellite is scheduled to launch aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission. Google announced the planned test on September 24, saying it would evaluate how its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) perform under the physical stresses of space.

The satellite is carrying four Google TPUs, custom-designed chips used to power the company’s AI workloads.

The spacecraft was developed in partnership with Planet, a San Francisco-based Earth-imaging company, and is expected to operate in orbit for about one year.

Google said the mission will collect data on how the TPUs withstand space radiation and extreme thermal conditions, as well as how the satellite’s cooling system performs in orbit.

Before committing hardware to orbit, Google tested the TPUs in a thermal vacuum chamber designed to simulate the temperature and vacuum conditions of space.

The orbital mission will provide the first opportunity to test the hardware under actual space conditions, allowing Google to gather data that could guide future missions.

Cooling is a particular challenge because there is no airflow in the vacuum of space. Google said its approach uses heat pipes and radiators to remove heat generated by the TPUs.

Future Project Suncatcher satellites would also need to communicate with one another using high-bandwidth laser links. Google said the required precision is comparable to hitting a coin-sized target from miles away while both points are moving.

Google plans to test the laser-based communication technology in 2027 by putting two additional satellites into orbit.