Project Suncatcher: track the orbital test and understand the cooling problem

Google's Project Suncatcher prototype is in orbit. Its Oct 1, 2026 update reports a launch with Planet aboard Transporter-18, confirmed contact and initial operation as expected. This is an early hardware experiment in a research programme exploring whether space could support scalable machine learning infrastructure.

The earlier September 24 article described an upcoming first test; the October 1 update confirms that launch and initial operation. Radiation and thermal measurements are the next phase, so keep initial operation separate from completed experiment results or a commercial orbital computing service.

This guide explains the test questions and supplies a verification worksheet. It does not independently validate mission results or thermal performance.