Google's first Suncatcher orbital data center test launches October 1

Google will launch its first experimental satellite, MVP, on October 1 to test Project Suncatcher, a plan to deploy orbital AI data centers. MVP, roughly refrigerator-sized, houses four custom TPU accelerators and solar panels that generate about one kilowatt of power, enough to run a microwave or hair dryer. The spacecraft is a Planet Labs platform modified to carry Google’s AI hardware, aiming to validate a constellation of solar-powered AI satellites.