Google Launches First AI Satellite Into Orbit

Google is set to launch its first Project Suncatcher satellite on October 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The refrigerator-sized prototype, called MVP, carries four custom TPU chips and will test how AI hardware performs in the harsh conditions of space, including radiation exposure, intense launch forces, and cooling challenges in a vacuum. The satellite can generate only about one kilowatt of solar power, limiting TPU operation to 15-minute bursts before cooling is required. Google ultimately aims to build a constellation of orbital AI data centers connected to Earth via high-speed lasers, positioning them as a lower-cost, lower-impact alternative to energy-hungry ground-based facilities.