Google announced that its Project Suncatcher is scheduled to embark on its first test in orbit, launching a prototype satellite to evaluate how Google Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) perform in space. Sharing a post on X, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote: “Can our TPUs survive and operate in space? Well, we’re going to find out”. He further revealed that TPUs will be sent in space onboard the upcoming Transporter-18 rideshare mission with SpaceX was developed in partnership with Planet. “Project Suncatcher is hitching a ride aboard @SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission, testing a prototype satellite built in partnership with @planet,” Pichai wrote adding “One small step for TPUs.…”.SpaceX CEO Elon Musk replied to Pichai’s post with rocket emojis.
What is Google’s Project Suncatcher
Sundar Pichai first discussed the ambitious Project Suncatcher in 2025. It is a long-term, research moonshot exploring whether space could one day host scalable machine learning infrastructure.Pichai then acknowledged that the concept “looks crazy today,” Pichai defended the moonshot initiative by arguing that it is necessary to meet the vast, exponential demands of future computing power.“I’m constantly thinking in that time frame. One example of this is Project Suncatcher two weeks ago, where we announced we’re gonna build data centers in space. Obviously, it’s a moonshot. Some of it looks crazy today,” he said in a Release Notes podcast this week.Pichai emphasised that Google’s strategy involves constantly thinking on a long time frame and working backward from monumental goals. For Project Suncatcher, the justification lies in forecasting the processing demands of the next generation of AI.“You know, when you truly step back and envision the amount of compute we are going to need, it starts making sense,” Pichai said, adding, “It’s a matter of time, and so, how do you make progress on that? You work back, and have 27 Milestones and get underway.”
Google’s first satellite for the project is set for launch
On October 1, the satellite from the San Francisco lab, which Google has named MVP, is set to take the first step toward the company’s goal. The satellite will be loaded onto a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base near Santa Barbara, California, before being launched into orbit.