Tag: Google
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New Computing Satellites Reach Orbit. Is Thermal Control the Next Major Opportunity—and Challenge?
From chip hotspots to continuous heat rejection, how computing workloads are changing satellite thermal requirements. On October 14, 2026, a Zhuque-2E Y4 launch vehicle placed 10 satellites into their intended orbits. Eight belong to Group 02 of Adaspace’s Xingsuan space-computing program.[1][2] According to company information reported by People’s Daily Online, the satellites will test computing…
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Onboard Intelligence, Space Data Processing in Orbit and Earth Data Processing in Orbit: Which Will Succeed First?
Space computing covers three distinct approaches: satellites that process their own observations, constellations that share computing tasks in orbit, and orbital infrastructure designed to handle workloads originating on Earth. They share a label, but their technical requirements and commercial readiness differ substantially. This lesson maps out the three approaches, making it easier to understand where…
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NASA Administrator Backs Solar-Powered AI Data Centers in Earth Orbit
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has endorsed placing artificial intelligence data centers in Earth orbit, arguing that space-based computing could draw directly on abundant solar energy while reducing pressure on terrestrial power grids, water supplies and land. Isaacman outlined the concept in an August 26, 2026, interview with Nexstar DC. He described the sun as a…
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NASA Runs Google’s Gemma AI in Orbit, Letting a Satellite Analyze Its Own Images
The experiment, called NAVI-Orbital, was conducted aboard Loft Orbital’s YAM-9 satellite and achieved its first successful in-orbit demonstration on April 16, 2026. According to the researchers, it represents the first reported demonstration of a vision-language model performing autonomous multimodal inference entirely aboard an orbiting spacecraft. Rather than simply capturing images and transmitting them to Earth…
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SpaceX Raises Record $75 Billion in Historic IPO, Reaches $1.77 Trillion Valuation
SpaceX has completed the largest initial public offering (IPO) in U.S. history, raising $75 billion and achieving a market valuation of approximately $1.77 trillion as the company prepares to begin trading on the Nasdaq. The offering was priced at $135 per share, with investors purchasing 555.56 million shares. The transaction surpasses the previous global IPO…
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Starcloud Raises $170 Million to Advance Orbital AI Data Center Plans
Starcloud Inc., a startup developing space-based artificial intelligence infrastructure, said it has raised $170 million in a new funding round that values the company at $1.1 billion, as interest grows in alternatives to terrestrial data centers. The funding was secured in two tranches, with Benchmark leading the first and co-leading the second alongside EQT Ventures.…
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Organizers confirm no teams will win Google Lunar X Prize
Artist’s concept of a privately-developed lunar lander designed by the Israeli team SpaceIL. Credit: SpaceIL None of the teams who have spent the last decade chasing a $20 million grand prize by placing a privately-funded lander on the moon will meet a deadline at the end of March to claim the award, the organizers of…
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Our solar system has met its match: AI helps scientists find a star’s eighth planet
We’re not alone. At least when it comes to solar systems with the same number of major planets as ours. NASA today announced details about the recent discovery of an eighth planet circling Kepler-90, a sunlike star that’s 2,545 light years from Earth. The planet, dubbed Kepler-90i, is a sizzling hot, rocky planet that orbits its…
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Google Maps unveils its latest destination: the International Space Station
Some spacesuits make their tour debut as Google Maps’ Street View takes users around the International Space Station. While space tourism is still a little ways away, Google is getting a head start by offering its own tours of the International Space Station — the latest destination on Google Maps’ Street View. To use it,…
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Google film ‘Dot of Light’ features pioneering female astronauts and dramatic views from space
Three female pioneers of space exploration are the subjects of a new short film from Google. And the experiences the women had and how they describe it all has led the tech giant to offer new Google Artworks Live Case designs for Pixel and Nexus smartphones. The 10-minute film, called “Dot of Light,” mixes historic footage…