Google is preparing to send its first experimental satellite into low Earth orbit to test whether its custom artificial intelligence chips can operate reliably in space, a step toward the company's long-term ambition of running AI computing beyond Earth.
The satellite, named MVP, is scheduled to launch on October 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to the New York Times. The mission is part of a broader Google initiative called Project Suncatcher.
MVP is not a full data center but an experimental prototype. It carries four of Google's tensor processing units, or TPUs, roughly equivalent in computing power to a single server. Its solar panels generate about one kilowatt of electricity, and the craft is designed for one year of active operation, though it will remain in orbit for up to six years before burning up in the atmosphere under Earth's gravity.
Ahead of launch, the hardware underwent radiation testing at the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory. Using a cyclotron, engineers exposed the chips to a dose equivalent to five years in space. The tests showed that radiation-induced errors could be cleared by rebooting the chips.
Because fans do not work in the vacuum of space, the team developed a passive heat-conduction system. A layer of thermal interface paste sits beneath the motherboard, contacting layers of aluminum and copper that channel heat to a radiator panel, which dissipates it into open space. The chips can run continuously for about 15 minutes before needing to cool down, a window long enough to handle short queries to the Gemini model.
The idea for the project came from Google vice president Blaise Agüera y Arcas, who proposed it about three years ago amid rising energy costs for AI. In May 2025, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and CEO Sundar Pichai approved the initiative.
To accelerate the launch and avoid waiting until 2027, Google partnered with Planet Labs, installing its processors on an existing satellite built by the partner. Next year, the company plans to launch a pair of satellites and is developing concepts for constellations of more than 80 craft to coordinate computing in space. It is also discussing with engineers the creation of a custom satellite the length of a football field.
Google executives emphasize that these are long-term research efforts. The MVP mission is intended to gather data on how AI hardware behaves in the harsh environment of orbit, where radiation and extreme temperatures pose challenges for electronics. The results could inform future designs for space-based computing infrastructure, though the company has not committed to deploying a full orbital data center.
The launch comes as demand for AI computing continues to grow, straining terrestrial data centers and energy grids. Running AI chips in space could theoretically tap into continuous solar power and avoid some land and cooling constraints, but significant technical and economic hurdles remain. Google's experiment is one of the first attempts by a major technology company to test AI-specific processors in orbit.