Google's Project Suncatcher prototype satellite is now in orbit
The company said the satellite, built with Planet, is operating as expected and will test how its TPUs cope with conditions in space.
AI illustrationGoogle said on 1 October 2026 that a prototype satellite for its Project Suncatcher had launched into orbit aboard the Transporter-18 rideshare mission with SpaceX. The satellite was built in partnership with Planet.
The company said its team had confirmed contact with the satellite and that it was operating as expected.
Google described the launch as the first step in a long-term research moonshot that explores whether space could one day host scalable machine learning infrastructure.
Over the coming weeks, the company plans to gather in-orbit data on how its TPUs handle the physical stress of spaceflight and the radiation and thermal extremes of space. It said it will use what it learns to refine its designs.
A peer-reviewed paper describing the research behind the mission is now available in Joule, according to the company.