(Sophia Space Illustration)Sophia Space has secured a patent for a technology that could pave the way for solar-powered orbital data centers that passively radiate excess heat into space. This approach avoids having to put a cooling system in the central bus of every satellite, said Leon Alkalai, Sophia Space’s co-founder, chairman and chief technology officer. The patent application for “Space-Based Data Centers” was filed in October 2024, and the patent was granted to Sophia Space and Caltech on July 14. (Sophia Space Photo)Alkalai said obtaining the newly issued patent is part of Sophia’s plan to build up a strong portfolio of intellectual property. But he suspects that the TILE architecture will eventually become the standard for orbital data centers.