Google’s October 1 launch of a Project Suncatcher prototype carrying four TPUs aboard a SpaceX rocket marks the most recent concrete step toward orbital AI compute, with the satellite now operating as expected while testing radiation tolerance and thermal performance. Starcloud previously demonstrated single-GPU training of a large language model in orbit in 2025 and has raised substantial funding for larger constellations, while SpaceX has filed for up to one million data-center satellites and referenced 2027–2028 timelines. These efforts compete against terrestrial power and land constraints but face steep hurdles in scaling to the 100-plus accelerator threshold, laser inter-satellite links, vacuum cooling, and launch economics. Additional Google test satellites planned for 2027 and Starcloud’s Starcloud-2 mission represent near-term catalysts that could shift trader sentiment on whether a qualifying orbital data center reaches space by the end of next year.