Google — Project Suncatcher

Summary

Google's Project Suncatcher is a research moonshot for orbital ML compute — solar-powered satellites with radiation-hardened Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), 1.6 Tbps optical inter-satellite links, and a 2030+ vision of 1km arrays of 81-satellite compute clusters. Two prototype satellites with Planet Labs are expected to launch by early 2027. The project's feasibility hinges on launch costs falling below ~$200/kg to LEO (projected mid-2030s).

Highlights

• Google R&D and TPU expertise (chips already used in Gemini, Search)
• Planet Labs launch partnership — two prototype satellites early 2027
• Pre-print paper published (DCD, March 2026) — academic-style transparency
• 1.6 Tbps optical inter-satellite links

Watchlist

• Still research phase — no hardware in orbit yet
• Depends on launch cost reductions (mid-2030s projection)
• Not a primary Google focus — moonshot status
• US-centric, no European partnership

Primary sources

• [1] Google — Project Suncatcher pre-print
• [2] DCD — Suncatcher coverage
• [3] Pichai — Fox News interview