Sophia Space and Caltech have received US patent No. 12,679,564 for new space-based data centres.
The patent covers large-scale, modular data centres intended to operate in orbit.
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These space-based facilities are structured to use solar energy for powering onboard computing and data storage, while managing cooling needs by passively radiating heat into deep space.
The application for the patent was filed in October 2024, and the patent is co-owned by both Sophia Space and Caltech.
The invention resulted from research and development activities within Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is operated by Caltech. The effort sought to pursue high-risk concepts that fall outside JPL’s ongoing missions.
Seven inventors are credited on the patent: Dr Leon Alkalai (Sophia Space), Dr John Brophy (JPL), Dr Jonathan Sauder (JPL), professor Sergio Pellegrino (Caltech), Dr Douglas Sheldon (JPL), Timothy McElrath (JPL), and Don Hunter.
Dr Alkalai founded Sophia Space as a subsidiary of Mandala Space Ventures in June 2023 to commercialise the intellectual property.
Dr Alkalai said: “This patent reflects a different way of thinking about computer infrastructure in space. You can’t simply take a terrestrial data centre and move it into space. Building data centres in space requires a fresh look at the energy life-cycle problem. Cooling in space is not simple.
“The only way to cool the data centre in space is by radiating waste heat into deep space. Our work invented the ‘TILE’ architecture, a modular, scalable, passively-cooled, computing and data storage unit that can be assembled into a large-scale computing data centre surface in space that is constantly powered by solar energy and constantly radiates into deep space.”
Following the patent issuance, Sophia Space has increased its investment in research and development, launching a sponsored research agreement with Caltech to further develop technologies for space-based data centres.
The collaboration, led by Pellegrino, focuses on lightweight, deployable structural elements and improved thermal management for these orbital facilities.
The company aims to address the rising demand for on-orbit computing as the number of satellite constellations increases and processing needs shift towards space-based operations.
