Google has successfully brought its Suncatcher prototype space data center online, testing Gemma 4 in orbit after launching earlier this month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The spacecraft carries four Google Tensor Processing Units and generated its first orbital output by writing a space-themed haiku when prompted by engineers on the ground.
The ongoing test campaign will examine how Google's TPU hardware performs under thermal stress and space radiation, which can cause data-corrupting bit flips. Because the satellite can only generate up to 1 kW of electricity, engineers can only operate one TPU for about 20 minutes at a time during the initial mission phase.
If the current mission proves successful, Google plans to launch two more advanced satellites equipped with the chips in 2027 to demonstrate inter-satellite optical links. This project aims to pave the way for future orbital networks capable of performing large-scale AI inference workloads in space by the 2030s.
Why it matters: This orbital test represents a crucial step toward establishing space-based data center infrastructure for future AI workloads.