Google says its Suncatcher prototype data center satellite is online after an October 1 launch, with Gemma 4 generating a haiku about being in space (Tim Fernholz/TechCrunch)

Google's Project Suncatcher prototype satellite is online and communicating with the ground following an October 1 launch. According to the Google Blog, the satellite is part of a long-term research moonshot to explore powering AI compute in space. During recent testing, engineers successfully uplinked a prompt to the onboard Gemma 4 open model, which responded with a haiku about being in space.

TechCrunch reports that the satellite launched alongside more than 100 other spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and carries a single Google Tensor Processing Unit (TPU).

The prototype generates up to 1 kW of electricity, but TechCrunch notes that the TPU's power demands limit operation to approximately twenty minutes at a time. Following the successful haiku, the company tested space-themed limericks and telemetry prompts to report on payload systems and orbital conditions. Future tests will evaluate how the TPUs perform under radiation exposure and thermal stress in orbit.

In a separate matter, TechRadar reports that a preliminary police investigation is underway in Finland regarding Google subsidiary Tuike Finland. The investigation concerns the clearing and draining of 330 hectares of forest at a data center site in Muhos. Allegations suggest the company failed to complete necessary environmental impact assessments before the felling.

Finnish police stated there have been ambiguities and shortcomings in drainage and water management at the construction site, and the investigation is not expected to be completed until 2027.

Brief written by urgent.news from Techmeme, TechRadar, Google Blog, TechCrunch — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.