Google's Suncatcher project plans orbiting AI data centers powered by solar energy

Google's Suncatcher project would run AI data centers in orbit on solar power. A refrigerator-sized test satellite, MVP, is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg on October 1 after Planet Labs built and tested it. Google VP James Manyika says it should handle basic AI queries. Travis Beals estimates roughly 10,000 satellites would be needed to match one 1-gigawatt ground data center; no air for cooling, cosmic radiation, and launch costs above $200 per kilogram remain hurdles. Jeff Bezos says orbital centers may take up to 20 years to beat ground costs. SpaceX and Blue Origin are also pursuing orbital data centers.