The first prototype satellite, fitted with a TPU, was launched on 1 October. Google has put a figure on the next phase: 370,000 tonnes to be placed into orbit over ten years, at around $200 per kilo.
The prototype of the Suncatcher project, a satellite built by Planet Labs and equipped with a Google TPU, was launched on October 1 by a SpaceX rocket from California. It has one kilowatt of continuous power and works in 15-minute sequences so as not to exceed its thermal limits. Two satellites designed specifically for the project, linked by laser, are due to follow in 2027.
The price per kilo in orbit, key to the project
Eventually, Google imagines clusters of 81 satellites flying in tight formation to calculate in parallel. In an analysis published in the journal Joule, the company estimates that such a deployment would require about 1,800 Starship launches in ten years (180 per year) to place some 370,000 tons in orbit. The model assumes a launch cost of falling to around $200 per kilogram by 2035, extending the decline of about 20% observed since Falcon 1, and satellites with a five-year lifespan.
Travis Beals, head of Suncatcher, presents the project as a very long-term bet, designed for future infrastructure needs rather than current workloads.
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