Google plans to hitch a ride on a SpaceX Transporter 18 rideshare flight, entrusting the mission with a test satellite it hopes will prove durable enough to start doing some light AI work while orbiting in space.

It's an experiment to see how the chips hold up in the harsh vacuum of the cosmos.

Google plans additional launches in 2027. The goal is a network of AI satellites that communicate with each other via high-speed laser links. However, Google expects it will take several years before Project Suncatcher can be developed into an actual product.

Google is preparing to launch a test satellite into space next week as part of an effort to explore whether artificial intelligence data centers could one day operate in orbit. NewsNation's Brooke