"However, there is the problem of physics. Received power decreases with the square of distance, so Google notes the satellites would have to maintain proximity of a kilometer or less. That would require a tighter formation than any currently operational constellation, but it should be workable. Google has developed analytical models suggesting that satellites positioned several hundred meters apart would require only "modest station-keeping maneuvers.";"
"Hardware designed for space is expensive and often less capable compared to terrestrial systems because the former needs to be hardened against extreme temperatures and radiation. Google's approach to Project Suncatcher is to reuse the components used on Earth, which might not be very robust when you stuff them in a satellite. However, innovations like the Snapdragon-powered Mars Ingenuity helicopter have shown that off-the-shelf hardware may survive longer in space than we thought."
"Google says Suncatcher only works if TPUs can run for at least five years, which works out to 750 rad. The company is testing this by blasting its latest v6e Cloud TPU (Trillium) in a 67MeV proton beam. Google says that while the memory was most vulnerable to damage, the experiments showed that TPUs can handle about three times as much radiation (almost 2 krad) before data corruption was detected."
Project Suncatcher proposes free-fall, linked satellites carrying consumer-grade TPUs to form space-based data centers. Received power falls with distance squared, so satellites must remain within about a kilometer, with several-hundred-meter spacing requiring modest station-keeping. The design favors reusing terrestrial components to reduce cost, acknowledging space-hardened hardware is expensive and less capable, but examples like Snapdragon-powered Mars Ingenuity suggest off-the-shelf parts can survive. Radiation tests of v6e Cloud TPUs show memory vulnerability but tolerance up to nearly 2 krad before corruption. Prototype satellite launches are planned by early 2027, and economics depend on mid-2030s lower launch costs.
Read at Ars Technica
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