Google will launch its first Project Suncatcher prototype satellite on 1 October aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, beginning a technical test of whether its TPU artificial intelligence chips can operate in orbit. The refrigerator-sized satellite, named MVP, is the company’s first in-space hardware trial for a programme that aims to explore future AI computing infrastructure beyond Earth.
The mission will not attempt to deploy a full orbital data centre. Instead, the satellite will carry four TPU chips and about 1 kW of solar panels to assess whether the hardware can survive launch, radiation and the thermal extremes of low Earth orbit. Google plans to use the flight to gather data on chip durability and cooling performance before deciding on any larger-scale architecture.
Project Suncatcher is designed around the idea that space could offer near-continuous solar power and fewer terrestrial limits on electricity and location. If the initial test works as intended, Google is expected to send two additional satellites in 2027 to trial high-speed laser links between spacecraft, extending the company’s research into distributed AI computing in orbit.