Google's Space-Bound AI Data Centers Take Shape with New Partnerships

Google's ambitious Project Suncatcher aims to build AI data centers in space. The company has already launched one satellite, MVP, into low-Earth orbit on October 1, 2026. While most of the attention focused on the launch itself, Google's announcement reveals a more extensive roadmap.

The next step is a learning mission with Planet, a commercial satellite imaging company, launching two prototype satellites by early 2027. These satellites will test the hardware in orbit and lay the groundwork for a future era of massively scaled computation in space.

Google's partnership with Planet brings together complementary expertise: Google supplies the AI chips and machine learning workloads, while Planet provides the spacecraft, power system, and operational experience running satellites day to day. This collaboration suggests that Google is treating Planet as a long-term build partner rather than a one-off vendor.