Google’s Project Suncatcher Satellite Will Carry Four TPUs Into Orbit

Google plans to launch MVP, an experimental satellite carrying four Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), on October 1, 2026. The flight will be an early test of Project Suncatcher, the company’s research initiative exploring whether low Earth orbit could eventually host machine-learning infrastructure powered largely by sunlight.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry MVP on the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. Planet Labs, a satellite imagery company, built the spacecraft, which is roughly the size of a refrigerator; Google integrated its chips into it. The approach helped Google accelerate its original 2027 timeline for launching two custom-built satellites.

Google tested whether the hardware could withstand launch vibration by shaking the satellite along three axes. The tests found no structural or functional failure. During launch, spacecraft can face forces of up to 10 times normal gravity, while individual chip components can experience 50 to 100 times normal gravity. Google also tested its Trillium TPUs at a proton beam facility at UC Davis. The chips survived radiation doses exceeding what a five-year orbital mission would typically deliver.

Cooling remains a challenge because space has no airflow to carry heat away. Google’s system uses thermal interface material, aluminum and copper heat pipes, and radiators that release heat into the vacuum. The TPUs can run continuously for about 15 minutes before pausing for cooling.

Future satellites are expected to carry dozens of TPU chips each and communicate through high-speed laser connections. Google plans to test two satellites communicating this way sometime in 2027.