Alphabet plans to launch MVP, the first hardware for Google's Project Suncatcher, on Oct. 1 aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission. Developed with Planet Labs PBC, the satellite will carry four Trillium Tensor Processing Units, or TPUs, to test AI-chip performance, solar power, radiation tolerance and thermal management in low Earth orbit. Planet Labs shares rose 3.18% to $18.17 in Friday premarket trading after closing 7.57% higher at $17.62 on Thursday. The move followed Google's confirmation that the inaugural orbital mission will launch next week, but it does not represent a new partnership: Planet disclosed its participation in Project Suncatcher on Nov. 4, 2025. Google's pre-flight tests found that Trillium TPUs withstood proton radiation exceeding the exposure anticipated during five years in space. The company also tested vibration resistance and a heat-pipe-and-radiator system, which is required because heat cannot dissipate through convection in a vacuum. Google plans a two-satellite laser-communications test in 2027 to assess whether distributed computing systems can operate in orbit.