Google's Project Suncatcher satellite runs Gemma 4 in orbit and sends its first response to Earth
The prototype carries four TPUs but has only enough power to run one for about 20 minutes at a time.
Google says the prototype space data center satellite from Project Suncatcher is online and has answered its first prompt from orbit. The satellite launched earlier this month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 alongside more than 100 other spacecraft, TechCrunch reports. It carries four Google Tensor Processing Units and generates up to 1 kilowatt of electricity. Because the TPUs draw so much power, the satellite can run one for only about 20 minutes at a time, which complicates communications with the ground. After about three weeks of commissioning tests on its subsystems, engineers asked the onboard Gemma 4 model to write a haiku about being in space, and the result was transmitted back to Earth, according to TechCrunch and The Verge. Google also asked the satellite to report on its orbital conditions. A spokesperson said it is operating nominally. Google has tested its TPUs in particle accelerators on Earth. The ongoing test campaign will now examine how the chips handle thermal stress and space radiation. The project aims to lay the groundwork for networks of close-flying satellites that run large inference workloads in orbit.