Google's Project Suncatcher experimental orbital data center prototype satellite is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on October 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The mission, officially named ASCENT Dual Mode, will deploy a satellite equipped with Google's Tensor Processing Unit AI hardware. SpaceX has shifted most Falcon 9 launch operations to Vandenberg while focusing Cape Canaveral operations on Starship development.

This launch is scheduled to be the sixth and final Falcon 9 flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base in September. However, SpaceX does not currently hold the revised FAA launch license required for this orbital flight attempt. The company previously stacked Starship Ship 41 and Booster 21 at the launch site as of early morning 2024-09-23.