SpaceX launched a prototype satellite containing Google artificial intelligence (AI) chips on Thursday (1). This device was placed into orbit using a Falcon 9 rocket during the Transporter-18 mission. The launch took place from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA, at 3:32 PM Brasília time.
This mission is part of SpaceX's shared transport program and aims to carry approximately 130 payloads into space, including satellites from Planet Labs. One of the transported items is a solar-powered prototype equipped with Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which are the chips created by Google for AI processing.
Project Suncatcher Test
This launch constitutes the first orbital test of Project Suncatcher, an initiative by Alphabet focused on developing computing infrastructure for AI in the space environment. The intention is to verify the possibility of satellites serving, in the future, as hosts for data centers capable of executing complex AI tasks.
In a statement about the project, Google indicated that Suncatcher aims to 'explore whether space could one day host a scalable machine learning infrastructure.' Before this space test, Google had already used its TPUs to run AI workloads at a University of California facility in Davis, USA. However, the company still needs to understand how these chips will behave under the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit.
Technical challenges include exposure to space radiation, extreme temperature variations, and the need to manage heat generated by components. The test will also allow for the evaluation of equipment reliability outside of Earth, an essential requirement for the future creation of orbital processing centers.
Orbital Data Center Plans
SpaceX itself has announced plans to build and launch its own data centers in orbit. This proposal involves using swarms of satellites designed by the company in Redmond, Washington, USA, which would be equipped with Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and solar panels manufactured in partnership with Tesla. The company presents space supercomputers as a potential new frontier for AI infrastructure, seeking to leverage orbital space to mitigate certain limitations found in terrestrial data centers.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, previously stated that space data centers would represent the most economical way to train AI systems, predicting this could materialize in two or three years. Additionally, Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's Chief Operating Officer, informed in September that the company plans to operate 'space supercomputing' until 2027.
Despite these optimistic projections, industry experts classify space data centers as a long-term and still uncertain endeavor. Obstacles cited include high cost, limitations in rocket launch capacity, the demand for cooling systems, radiation-resistant components, and protection against extreme temperatures. Furthermore, the presence of space debris and orbital congestion can complicate the implementation of such large structures.
Alphabet and SpaceX maintain a commercial relationship. Google's parent company is a significant investor in the space company, with a stake currently estimated at over US$82 billion (approximately R$434.6 billion). Although they are partners in various areas, their respective AI divisions also compete with each other.
The Transporter-18 launch occurred on a very active day for SpaceX. On the same day, the company executed a crewed mission to take astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), departing from the Florida Space Coast, USA, beginning a six-month stay in orbit. In addition to the Google satellite, Transporter-18 carried other items, such as CubeSats, microsatellites, hosted payloads, two spacecraft with reentry vehicles, and four orbital transfer vehicles intended to release 41 payloads later.
The mission also included Reason-1, a satellite from Cowboy Space, whose purpose is to demonstrate power transmission via laser, aiming to transfer energy from low Earth orbit to a ground receiver. Another highlight was the first Otter service satellite from Starfish Space, developed to perform maintenance on satellites in orbit.
Although Transporter-18 carried a large volume of equipment, it did not set the record for the highest number of items sent simultaneously by SpaceX; this record belongs to the Transporter-1 mission, conducted in January 2021, which sent 143 payloads. The first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to the Vandenberg area, landing about 7 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff, marking its 25th flight. Meanwhile, the second stage continues to carry the mission to low Earth orbit, with payload deployment scheduled to occur over about 11 minutes, starting 54 minutes and 30 seconds after launch.