ScienceGoogle prepares Project Suncatcher’s first AI chip test in orbit
Google says its prototype satellite, developed with Planet, will test how its Tensor Processing Units handle launch stresses, radiation and temperature extremes.
TLDR
Google said on September 24, 2026, that its first Project Suncatcher prototype was scheduled to fly on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission. Developed with Planet, the satellite is intended to test Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs)—AI chips—and a new cooling system in orbit. Google describes Suncatcher as long-term research into whether space could one day host scalable machine learning infrastructure. The company also plans to put two satellites in orbit in 2027 to test laser communications between them.
Google prepares Project Suncatcher’s first AI chip test in orbit
Google says its prototype satellite, developed with Planet, will test how its Tensor Processing Units handle launch stresses, radiation and temperature extremes.
