Google Says Its Project Suncatcher AI Satellite Sent Its First Response From Orbit
Google's prototype satellite for space-based AI computing is in orbit and talking back, the company said - a first step toward testing whether machine learning data centers could one day run in space.
Google says its Project Suncatcher prototype satellite is in orbit and has sent back its first response, an early milestone in the company's research moonshot to explore whether machine learning infrastructure could one day run in space.
The satellite, built with Planet and launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission, is operating as expected, Google's Travis Beals wrote on the company's official blog. Over the coming weeks the team will gather in-orbit data on how Google's AI chips handle the physical stress of spaceflight and the radiation and thermal extremes of space.
The research behind the mission is detailed in a peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Joule. "Some things can only be tested in space," Beals wrote.
Project Suncatcher is a long-term research effort; Google has not announced any commercial timeline for space-based computing.
(File Photo) Planet Dove satellites deploy from the International Space Station. Photo: NASA.