Google is preparing to launch an experimental satellite designed to test whether artificial intelligence computing can eventually be moved into space and powered by solar energy.

The satellite, part of Google’s Project Suncatcher, is scheduled to launch on 1 October aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to The New York Times.

The refrigerator-size satellite, called MVP, carries four of Google’s tensor processing units, or TPUs, roughly equivalent to the computing power of one data-center server. Its solar panels will generate about one kilowatt of power.

Google does not expect the mission to function as a full orbital data center. Instead, it will test whether AI chips can withstand radiation, temperature changes and other harsh conditions in space.

The satellite is expected to answer basic AI queries during a year of operation, while remaining in orbit for as long as six years before eventually burning up in the atmosphere.

Project Suncatcher reflects growing interest among technology companies in orbital data centers as AI systems demand increasing amounts of electricity and computing capacity.

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman have also expressed interest in putting computing infrastructure in space, although high launch costs, radiation exposure and cooling remain major challenges.

Google began radiation testing of its AI chips in 2025 at Crocker Nuclear Laboratory in California. The company found that most radiation-related errors could be resolved by restarting the chips.

One of the biggest technical challenges is cooling. Conventional fans do not work in space, so Google developed a system using conductive materials to transfer heat away from the chips.

Google says a large-scale orbital data center remains years away.