Google launched a prototype satellite into orbit on Thursday to evaluate how its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) operate in space.

The prototype satellite, carrying four Google TPUs, was launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission.

Google said its team has confirmed contact with the satellite and that it is operating as expected.

Google said the launch is the first step in its Project Suncatcher, a long-term research project conducted in partnership with Planet Labs PBC to explore whether scalable machine learning infrastructure could eventually be hosted in space.

Over the coming weeks, Google will collect in-orbit data on how its TPUs handle the physical stress, radiation and thermal extremes of space. The company will use the data to refine its future designs.

In low Earth orbit, satellites can access near-constant sunlight, generating up to eight times more solar power than on Earth, according to Google.

In the future, multiple satellite constellations could potentially be linked together, enabling them to handle larger AI workloads in orbit, the company said.