Google Launches First Test Satellite for Orbital AI Data Centers

On October 1, Google will launch MVP, its first experimental satellite for Project Suncatcher, a moonshot to build AI data centers in orbit. The refrigerator‑sized craft, built on a Planet Labs platform, houses four custom TPU AI accelerators that train models and run inference. Solar panels on MVP generate roughly one kilowatt—enough to power a microwave or hair dryer—providing a modest power budget for the chips. The launch accelerates Google’s original plan to deploy two custom satellites in 2027, aiming to validate the feasibility of a constellation of solar‑powered AI satellites as an alternative to power‑hungry terrestrial data centers.