Google has launched its first AI chips into orbit. A refrigerator-sized satellite rode to space on a SpaceX rideshare mission on October 1. It is the first test of Project Suncatcher.

The satellite carries four Tensor Processing Units. TPUs are Google’s custom AI chips. They have the compute power of a single server rack. Solar panels generate about one kilowatt.

The chips will run a version of Google’s Gemma AI model. They can run for about 15 minutes at a time before heat forces a shutdown. Engineers will study how the chips handle launch vibration, radiation and extreme temperatures.

Google confirmed contact with the satellite shortly after it reached orbit. The satellite was built with help from Planet Labs.

The long-term idea is constellations of solar-powered data centres in orbit. Panels in low Earth orbit can produce up to eight times more power than on the ground. Google first unveiled the project in November 2025.

Travis Beals, who leads the project, said the mission tests what can only be tested in space. Google plans a larger language-model test over the next year.