Randy Kirk(@RandyWKirk1):I checked with Grok to learn more about the Google plan to send TPU's into space on a Falcon 9 next week. Did you know all of this? Google’s Project Suncatcher prototype satellite (called MVP) is flying on SpaceX’s **Transporter-18** dedicated rideshare mission. That’s a Falcon 9 launching from Vandenberg SLC-4E, currently targeted for **October 1, 2026**. It’s a real test, not a dummy. The satellite (built with Planet Labs) carries four actual Google Trillium TPUs. They plan to run Gemini workloads in short ~15-minute bursts because the cooling system (heat pipes + radiators) can’t keep up with continuous operation in vacuum. The goals are to measure launch vibration/g-forces, radiation-induced errors (bit flips), and thermal performance in orbit. Google has already radiation-tested the chips on the ground and they survived more than a 5-year LEO dose, but this is the first on-orbit check. It’s an early prototype, not a production orbital data center.

2026.09.24 23:05

I checked with Grok to learn more about the Google plan to send TPU's into space on a Falcon 9 next week. Did you know all of this? Google’s Project Suncatcher prototype satellite (called MVP) is flying on SpaceX’s **Transporter-18** dedicated rideshare mission. That’s a Falcon 9 launching from Vandenberg SLC-4E, currently targeted for **October 1, 2026**. It’s a real test, not a dummy. The satellite (built with Planet Labs) carries four actual Google Trillium TPUs. They plan to run Gemini workloads in short ~15-minute bursts because the cooling system (heat pipes + radiators) can’t keep up with continuous operation in vacuum. The goals are to measure launch vibration/g-forces, radiation-induced errors (bit flips), and thermal performance in orbit. Google has already radiation-tested the chips on the ground and they survived more than a 5-year LEO dose, but this is the first on-orbit check. It’s an early prototype, not a production orbital data center.