Google Accelerates AI Satellite Launch to October 1
Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) experimental AI satellite, MVP, is set to launch on October 1 as part of Project Suncatcher. The satellite will carry four Google tensor processing units and solar panels that deliver about one kilowatt of power.
The launch, which was initially scheduled for early 2027, has been accelerated months ahead of schedule. This move has a direct read-through for Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL), which partnered with Google on the project.
Google's senior director of product management for Project Suncatcher, Travis Beals, said that the chips can run for about 15 minutes before they shut down to cool due to the lack of fans in space. The satellite is designed to operate for about a year and will test Google's layered cooling system.
Planet Labs originally agreed to launch two satellites for Google in 2027 but accepted added risk to meet the accelerated timeline. Google still plans to launch a pair of satellites next year and has designs for fleets of more than 80 satellites flying in close formation.