Google Takes the A.I. Data Center Race to Outer Space
By Kate Conger and Cade Metz, The New York Times, September 24, 2026
At a lab in San Francisco last month, a team of technicians in protective suits and hairnets poked, prodded and inspected a refrigerator-size satellite commissioned by Google.
First, they examined the satellite’s solar panels, which would unfurl in space and face the sun. The satellite was then placed on a table and shaken rapidly in a vibration test, to see whether the chips inside would be damaged or the machine would come apart during a journey into space. The technicians painstakingly painted a small line over each screw to help indicate any loosening during the shaking.
The satellite passed the vibration test, with its screws staying put and the chips remaining intact. James Manyika, Google’s senior vice president for research, called the results “great,” but he said he still wondered what would happen when the satellite went to space…