Google's Project Suncatcher could make the space debris problem a lot worse

"The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and cloud services has led to a massive demand for computing power. The surge has strained data infrastructure, which requires lots of electricity to operate. A single, midsize data center here on Earth can consume enough electricity to power about 16,500 homes, with even larger facilities using as much as a small city. Over the past few years, tech leaders have increasingly advocated for space-based AI infrastructure as a way to address the power requirements of data centers."

"In space, sunshine-which solar panels can convert into electricity-is abundant and reliable. On November 4, 2025, Google unveiled Project Suncatcher, a bold proposal to launch an 81-satellite constellation into low Earth orbit. It plans to use the constellation to harvest sunlight to power the next generation of AI data centers in space. So instead of beaming power back to Earth, the constellation would beam data back to Earth."

"For example, if you asked a chatbot how to bake sourdough bread, instead of firing up a data center in Virginia to craft a response, your query would be beamed up to the constellation in space, processed by chips running purely on solar energy, and the recipe sent back down to your device. Doing so would mean leaving the substantial heat generated behind in the cold vacuum of space."

Rapid growth in artificial intelligence and cloud services has created massive demand for computing power and strained electricity-hungry data infrastructure. Terrestrial data centers can consume electricity comparable to tens of thousands of homes or even a small city. Space offers abundant, reliable sunlight that solar panels can convert to electricity, enabling proposals for orbital AI data centers. Google announced Project Suncatcher to deploy an 81-satellite constellation to harvest sunlight and run AI processing in orbit while beaming data back to Earth, leaving generated heat in space. The plan draws enthusiasm from technologists but raises warnings from space scientists about existing and growing space debris. Space debris includes large defunct objects and tiny fragments and travels at hypersonic speeds of approximately 17,500 mph in low Earth orbit.

Read at Fast Company