Overview
- Google published a preprint and blog detailing an orbital architecture that clusters TPU‑equipped satellites in dawn–dusk sun‑synchronous orbit for near‑continuous solar power.
- Bench tests showed 800 Gbps each‑way (1.6 Tbps total) free‑space optical transmission from a single transceiver pair, with links ultimately needing tens of terabits per second.
- Radiation tests on Trillium (v6e) TPUs found no hard failures up to 15 krad(Si), with HBM irregularities beginning around 2 krad(Si), supporting a five‑year mission target with shielding.
- Constellations would fly in tight formations—hundreds of meters to a few kilometers—at roughly 650 km altitude to close the optical link budget with modest station‑keeping, Google’s models indicate.
- Google’s cost analysis projects potential parity with terrestrial energy costs by the mid‑2030s if launch prices fall below $200/kg, as debate continues over environmental impacts and industry rivals pursue similar concepts.