SpaceX and Google in talks to launch data centers in Earth's orbit

Google is in active talks with SpaceX for a rocket-launch deal to advance its plans for orbital data centers in space.

The partnership would place Google’s computing infrastructure into orbit as part of Project Suncatcher, which aims to launch prototype satellites by 2027 in cooperation with Planet Labs. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company intends to “send tiny racks of machines and have them in satellites, test them out, and then start scaling from there.”

SpaceX views orbital data centers as its next major frontier. The company has already filed an application to launch up to one million satellites for the project. Google owns 6.1 percent of SpaceX and has a representative on its board.

Google is also holding discussions with other launch providers. The technology is designed to bypass Earth-based constraints of land and power by using solar panels in space.

Major engineering challenges remain, and some industry experts remain skeptical about feasibility. SpaceX has separately announced a large Earth-based computing deal with Anthropic involving 300 megawatts and more than 220,000 Nvidia GPUs.

The talks come as SpaceX prepares for what is expected to be the largest IPO in history this summer.