Google is launching AI processors into orbit

Plus, decoding elephant rumble calls ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

October 1, 2026—Google is launching an AI processor into space today. Also, a newly-discovered crystal at the Trinity test site, and how gravitational wave detection works. Andrea will be back tomorrow! —Emma Gometz, Newsletter Editor TODAY'S NEWS An artist's rendition of a data center in space. Today Google is launching its own satellite equipped with artificial intelligence computing chips. This will be the first launch in the company’s experimental Project Suncatcher. Credit: Starcloud Today, Google’s Project Suncatcher is sending four AI processors into orbit. Scientists are hoping its the first step toward data centers in space. | 5 min read We asked Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about how his background in medicine has shaped his politics. | 10 min read Are you ready to rumble? Scientists are decoding what several elephant “rumble” calls might mean—from “hello” to “let’s go.” | 2 min read Climate change is affecting petrichor—that glorious smell after it rains. | 2 min read Archaeologists unearthed a 13th century monastery in Scotland, where there was evidence of a large metalworking operation. | 2 min read There might be a way to “vaccinate” yourself against online romance scams. | 17 minute podcast A new NASA directive seeks to loosen rules meant to prevent contamination on Mars. | 3 min read TOP STORIES ​Gravitational Waves Since gravitational waves were first detected, in 2015, physicists have found almost 400 of these undulations in the fabric of spacetime. A new catalog of the findings, released this year, includes waves made by the collision of the heaviest pair of black holes seen yet, plus ripples from a set of black holes that were spinning at about 40 percent of the speed of light before they smashed together. ​ Where do they come from? Gravitational waves are distortions in the fabric of spacetime caused by the motion of massive objects. These waves can reveal extreme cosmic events that produce little or no light. For example, a binary system of two co-orbiting black holes can emit gravitational waves that radiate energy, causing their orbits to decay and ultimately leading to a merger. The newly formed, more massive black hole then settles into a stable state, and the spacetime distortions subside. Lucy Reading-Ikkanda How to detect them: Scientists record gravitational waves using highly sensitive instruments called laser interferometers. When a gravitational wave washes over Earth, it stretches and shrinks spacetime, measurably affecting the distance laser beams travel within these devices before recombining. That creates distinctive interference patterns that signal a detection.

​Trinity Test Crystal After a nuclear bomb went off during the Trinity nuclear test in New Mexico, 1945, melted sand and vaporized sensor wires crystallized into a strange glass-like form found on the ground, dubbed trinitite. Now, researchers have identified a new material within trinitite called a clathrate: a cagelike chemical lattice that traps other atoms inside it. This clathrate variety has never been seen before anywhere—in nature or in the aftermath of another nuclear explosion. ​ How it happened: The conditions of the surrounding area during the Trinity test caused this strange material to form. During the Trinity blast, sand swept into the ensuing fireball was exposed to temperatures higher than 1,500 degrees Celsius and pressures of several gigapascals—way more pressure than needed to turn graphite into a diamond. The matter vaporized, mixed and cooled extremely quickly, scrambling into new forms. This particular clathrate isn’t a clean, stable structure, but rather an “unusual nonequilibrium material,” says Luca Bindi, a geologist at the University of Florence in Italy and the study’s coauthor. ​ What the experts say: “This work underscores how rare, high-energy events—such as nuclear detonations, lightning strikes, and hypervelocity impacts—serve as natural laboratories for producing unexpected crystalline matter,” the study authors write.​ The structure of a new crystal discovered in trinitite. Amanda Montañez; Source: “Extreme Nonequilibrium Synthesis of a Ca–Cu–Si Clathrate during the Trinity Nuclear Test,” by Luca Bindi et al., in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 123, No. 21; May 11, 2026 (reference)

If you’ve read this far, your brain probably wants a subscription. Help support this newsletter and get unlimited access to Scientific American: 90 days for just $1. Subscribe ​We were all really excited to hear when our breaking news reporter, Adam Kovac, nabbed an interview with Abdul El-Sayed. A politician might not be expecting a science reporter to ask them tough questions, but science heavily influences the issues at play in this year’s midterms—from healthcare to clean energy. Staying informed, and asking the same of our politicians, can do a lot for our democracy.  What do you think about today's stories? Send your thoughts, questions, and feedback on this newsletter to: newsletters@sciam.com.​  —Emma Gometz, Newsletter Editor

Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters here. Scientific American 1000 N West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, Delaware 19801 ​ Support our mission, subscribe to Scientific American here ​ Unsubscribe    Preferences     View in Browser

Space & Physics: Starship reaches orbit at last

Plus, U.S. space weapons aren’t what you think                    

View in web browser

October 1— This week, we watched a spectacular orbital test of SpaceX’s Starship, learned more about mysterious U.S. space weapons, and pondered NASA’s controversial move to loosen some restrictions on missions to Mars. But that’s not all—check out some gorgeous new images of Earth taken from deep space. Plus, a first-of-its-kind test of orbital data center tech, a replan for Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft and much more. Enjoy! Thoughts? Questions? Let me know via e-mail (lbillings@sciam.com), X or Bluesky. —Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Physical Sciences

Top Stories

The next era of space warfare is upon us Elusive, satellite-stalking spacecraft could unleash space war—or help keep orbital peace Mary Randolph

SpaceX’s Starship lifts off in make-or-break orbital test flight The world’s largest rocket successfully entered orbit for the first time—a milestone for SpaceX and a relief for future NASA moon missions Lee Billings

Travel with Scientific American Experience Swiss Innovations and Alpine Inspirations Join us with expert Joseph Howlett, senior reporter, to explore scientific innovation across Switzerland. Each day delves into a different branch of Swiss excellence—from particle physics in Geneva to viticulture science in the vineyards of Lavaux to pioneering energy research in Lausanne, and more! Spaces are limited; book today!

NASA directive might increase the odds of contaminating Mars The new push loosens U.S. regulations for sterilizing spacecraft bound for the Red Planet and calls for modernizing the science of “planetary protection” Joseph Howlett

Google’s dream of AI data centers in space gets its first off-world test Today Project Suncatcher is sending four AI processors into orbit on a SpaceX rocket to see whether the building blocks of a data center can survive space Peter Hall

Immerse yourself in the newest space updates with a subscription to Scientific American. Get 90 days for just $1!

NASA announces plans to revive Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft Starliner hasn’t flown since its failed 2024 mission left two astronauts onboard the International Space Station for 286 days Adam Kovac

A Jupiter-bound spacecraft just swung by Earth, snapping photos as it went Juice is on its way to study Jupiter’s moons, with a little assist from Earth’s gravity Mary Randolph

Satellite images reveal ethereal auroral storm raging above the North Pole The satellite, Smile, is a joint European and Chinese mission to study space weather and geomagnetic storms above Earth Adam Kovac

Surprising result seen in primordial matter inside atom smasher Physicists at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider on Long Island have seen hints of a phase transition from the early universe Clara Moskowitz

Scientists just found a bizarre cosmic object ‘hiding in plain sight’ Meet the Milky Way’s first microblazar Mary Randolph

What’s the point of the interstellar Fermi Explorer mission? Fermi Explorer, a proposed low-cost private mission to Alpha Centauri, seeks to address a question that’s already been answered Phil Plait

Vox’s Unexplainable and Scientific American take on dark matter, uncertainty and the unknowable What if the universe’s biggest mystery has no answer? Rachel Feltman, Joseph Howlett, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura

What We're Reading

A lack of rockets is creating a crisis for space technology companies | New Scientist NASA has a Dragon dilemma, and there appear to be no good answers | Ars Technica Radio waves coming from an alien planet may be a cosmic first | New York Times

From the Archive

Proposed Interstellar Mission Reaches for the Stars, One Generation at a Time Starting in the early 2030s, the project could become our first purposeful step out of the solar system—if it launches at all Lee Billings

Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters here. Scientific American 1000 N West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, Delaware 19801 Support our mission, subscribe to Scientific American here Unsubscribe  |  Preferences Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us