Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) plans to send artificial intelligence chips into orbit on Thursday aboard a SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) Falcon 9 rocket as part of its Project Suncatcher initiative exploring the use of computing infrastructure in space.
The launch is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. PT from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California.
SpaceX’s uncrewed Transporter-18 mission will carry Planet Labs satellites, including a solar-powered prototype equipped with Google tensor processing units, or TPUs.
The mission will mark the first in-orbit test for Project Suncatcher, which Alphabet initially announced in November 2025.
Project Suncatcher Explores Space-Based AI Computing
Alphabet said Project Suncatcher is designed to examine whether space could be used to host machine-learning infrastructure.
The company plans to develop solar-powered AI computing systems capable of operating continuously in space. According to Alphabet, satellites in low Earth orbit can receive near-continuous sunlight and generate up to eight times more solar power than comparable systems on Earth.
Alphabet ultimately plans to explore linking multiple satellite constellations to handle larger AI workloads in orbit.
The company has previously tested its TPUs running AI workloads at a University of California at Davis facility. However, it has yet to determine how the chips will perform under conditions in low Earth orbit.
Alphabet also holds a stake in SpaceX valued at more than $82 billion, according to the supplied information.
SpaceX Also Pursues Orbital Computing Plans
SpaceX has separately announced plans to develop and launch orbital data centres using groups of satellites developed in Redmond, Washington.
The planned satellites are expected to carry graphics processing units and solar arrays that SpaceX intends to produce with Tesla.
Earlier this year, Elon Musk said he expected space-based data centres to become the lowest-cost method of training AI within two to three years. This represents Musk’s forecast rather than an established outcome.
SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said at an event in September that the company plans to deploy supercomputing capabilities in space in 2027.