Google's prototype space data center satellite goes live in orbit and writes a haiku

The prototype satellite of Google's Suncatcher project, an experimental space-based data center, is now operating in orbit and communicating with Earth. It was launched earlier this month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket alongside more than 100 other spacecraft. The project aims to pave the way for future networks of closely flying satellites that run large inference workloads in orbit, meaning the operation of already trained AI models.

Short run times complicate communication

The satellite carries one Google Tensor Processing Unit (TPU, the company's own AI chip) and generates up to 1 kW of electricity. Because of the chip's power demands, it can only be switched on for about twenty minutes at a time, which further complicates space-to-ground communication. After about three weeks of commissioning tests on its subsystems, the spacecraft was ready to work.

For the first prompt this week, engineers asked the pre-loaded Google DeepMind model Gemma 4 to write a haiku about being in space. The result mentioned the blue marble below and silent data streams. A Google spokesperson told TechCrunch the satellite is operating nominally, and it also reported on orbital conditions around it.

Radiation effects to be tested for real

The continuing test campaign will examine how the chips cope with thermal stress and the space radiation environment. Radiation can cause "bit flips" that corrupt data without triggering typical monitoring tools. Ground tests in particle accelerators suggested the impact would be minimal for inference but a bigger problem for training models. The team can now assess this in real conditions.

If the TPU proves capable, two more satellites with advanced chips are planned for launch in 2027. They will generate more power and demonstrate inter-satellite optical links.

Ties to SpaceX and Alphabet

Google's approach differs from others: SpaceX's data centers are also expected to use laser links but to orbit too far apart to share processing effectively. Alphabet, Google's parent company, holds a significant investment stake in SpaceX. Both companies' plans depend on Starship, the heavy-lift rocket still in development, becoming fully and rapidly reusable. Suncatcher researchers estimated that SpaceX would need to fly Starship 1,800 times to achieve the same cost reductions it saw with earlier vehicles.

This week Alphabet's stock fell after the company reported that efforts to add AI to its search business are hurting ad revenue growth.