Google plans AI satellite launch for October 1

Google plans to launch a satellite carrying its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on October 1. The mission is part of Project Suncatcher, the company’s experimental effort to explore whether AI data centers could eventually operate in orbit. The New York Times previously reported the planned launch.

Google says the satellite will use sunlight in low Earth orbit and test how its TPUs handle the physical stresses of spaceflight, including radiation and extreme temperatures. The company says ground tests showed the chips could withstand high levels of g-force and radiation, but that some conditions can only be tested in space.

Google also plans to test a cooling system using heat pipes and radiators. Travis Beals, Project Suncatcher’s senior director of product management, told The New York Times the chips can run for about 15 minutes before needing to be switched off to cool.

The launch is an early step toward Google’s goal of putting a constellation of chip-equipped satellites in orbit. Google plans to put two satellites into orbit next year. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt have also floated satellite networks as an alternative to Earth-based data centers.