Google Suncatcher: Tensor Processing Units Headed to Space

Google has sent four Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to space for testing as part of its Project Suncatcher. The TPU chips will be launched on SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare, reportedly on October 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The satellite carrying the TPU chips is a Planet-built prototype called MVP. It will run AI workloads, including Gemini queries, in short bursts of roughly 15 minutes before pausing to cool. Google plans to operate it for about a year and it could stay in orbit for up to six years.

The mission aims to test whether the TPU chips can survive and operate in space. The team at Google has been working on this project since November 2025, comparing it to its early work on autonomous driving and quantum computing.