Google put a fridge of TPUs in orbit. It can run Gemma for 15 minutes at a time.

The Story

Google’s Project Suncatcher prototype is in orbit after an Oct 1 SpaceX rideshare with Planet Labs. The fridge-size satellite is a first live test of Google TPUs in space; the company says it has contact and will spend coming weeks measuring radiation and heat. Reporting around the launch says the chips will run Gemma in short bursts because the box cannot dump heat like a data center.

Why It Matters

The cloud is trying to leave Earth. SFL already did terrestrial data-center “smokestack”; this is the sequel object: a microwave-powered fridge answering queries over the Pacific, then overheating. Future-shock plus a comic physical constraint.

Evidence

Google Research blog, Oct 1 (new URL, actual launch — not the Sept 25 “next week” facts page); NPR/Scientific American. Fridge-size Planet-built prototype, four TPUs, SpaceX Transporter-18, contact confirmed. NPR: Gemma, ~15 minutes per run, heat.

Sources

Daily scan: 2026-10-02

• blog.googlehttps://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/google-research/project-suncatcher-prototype/
• www-s4.npr.orghttps://www-s4.npr.org/2026/10/01/nx-s1-5983697/project-suncatcher-google-ai-data-center-space