NewsNation reported on September 25, 2026, that Google said it planned to launch a test satellite the following week to explore whether AI data centers could operate in orbit. A user describes the Project Suncatcher prototype as built by Planet and carrying four TPUs, or AI processors, with a launch aboard SpaceX Transporter-18 planned no earlier than October 1, 2026. That account says the satellite would spend about a year in orbit monitoring radiation, cooling and chip performance.