# Sophia Space: orbital data center program

> United States (United States), startup. Stage 1 of 7: Concept. No TILE hardware has been shown built or tested. In February 2026 it planned to build its first two TILEs and begin ground testing this year; a patent issued on 2026-07-14.

- Canonical page: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers/sophia-space
- This Markdown version: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers/sophia-space.md
- Data as of: 2026-10-05 (last evidence review)
- How the numbers are made: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers#method

> For information only, not investment advice. SpaceNexus is not a registered investment adviser, broker or dealer, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Data may be delayed, estimated or incomplete; check the source before acting. Rounds come from company announcements, regulatory filings and press reports. Amounts, valuations and investors are as reported and may be incomplete or later revised. Not investment advice, and not an offer or solicitation for any security. Full text: https://spacenexus.us/disclaimer

## Stage evidence

- No TILE hardware has been shown built or tested. In February 2026 it planned to build its first two TILEs and begin ground testing this year; a patent issued on 2026-07-14. Sources: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/26/sophia-space-raises-10m-seed-to-demo-novel-space-computers/); [Supercomputing.news](https://www.supercomputing.news/emerging/sophia-space-orbital-data-center-patent-radiator-area)

## Key figures

- Total funding (company figure): $22M (company claim). Sources: [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-announces-7-million-safe-financing-bringing-total-funding-to-22-million-302806945.html)
- SLI leasing framework (non-binding): $300M. Sources: [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/sophia-space-sli-set-terms-for-300m-satellite-leasing-deal/)
- Planned TILE constellation: 10 spacecraft (company claim). Sources: [GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2026/sophia-space-sli-300m-deal-computing-constellation/)

## Approach

- Orbit: LEO
- Architecture: Modular TILE panels that combine solar cells, compute modules and a passive radiator, extending from a host bus; plus an orbital operating system (SOOS)
- Power: Integrated solar on each TILE
- Cooling: Passive heat spreader against an aluminum radiator; company says 92% of power goes to compute
- Compute: Vendor-agnostic radiation-resistant modules; first software demo on Kepler NVIDIA Jetson Orin nodes
- Customers: Targets enterprise, government and defense; no named paying customers

## Milestones

| Date | Status | Confidence | Milestone | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-05-19 | achieved | Reported | $3.5M pre-seed. Led by Unlock Ventures. | [GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2025/new-space-startup-with-several-seattle-ties-lands-3-5m-to-develop-orbital-data-centers/); [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-closes-pre-seed-financing) |
| 2026-02-24 | achieved | Confirmed | $10M seed. Led by Alpha Funds, KDDI Green Partners Fund and Unlock Venture Partners. TechCrunch reported it on 2026-02-26. | [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-closes-10m-seed-round-to-accelerate-orbital-edge-computing); [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/26/sophia-space-raises-10m-seed-to-demo-novel-space-computers/) |
| 2026-04-13 | achieved | Confirmed | Kepler collaboration: Sophia software on Kepler GPUs from Q4 2026. Reported as six GPUs on two Kepler spacecraft. | [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-announces-strategic-collaboration-with-kepler-communications-to-advance-orbital-compute-and-connectivity) |
| 2026-06-23 | achieved | Confirmed | $7M SAFE; Apex Nova bus chosen for 2027 demo; $22M total | [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-announces-7-million-safe-financing-bringing-total-funding-to-22-million-302806945.html); [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-selects-apex-to-power-realtime-computing-in-orbit-302806905.html) |
| 2026-09-14 | achieved | Confirmed | $300M non-binding asset-financing framework with SLI for 10 TILE spacecraft. SLI would buy and lease the satellites; a letter of support only. | [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/sophia-space-sli-set-terms-for-300m-satellite-leasing-deal/) |
| 2026-09-30 | achieved | Confirmed | Memorandum of understanding with Redwire on orbital data center infrastructure. Redwire covers deployables, power, thermal and integration; the two plan joint bids. | [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-and-redwire-team-up-to-advance-orbital-data-center-infrastructure); [PR Newswire](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-and-redwire-team-up-to-advance-orbital-data-center-infrastructure-302893808.html) |

## Announced next steps (as the organisation stated them)

- Q4 2026: Sophia software (SOOS) running on Kepler satellites. Sources: [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-announces-strategic-collaboration-with-kepler-communications-to-advance-orbital-compute-and-connectivity)
- 2027: TILE in-orbit demo on an Apex Nova bus. Sources: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/26/sophia-space-raises-10m-seed-to-demo-novel-space-computers/); [Aviation Week](https://aviationweek.com/space/commercial-space/sophia-space-test-orbital-data-center-tech-apex-sat-2027)
- as early as 2028: 10-satellite TILE constellation under the SLI lease framework. Sources: [GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2026/sophia-space-sli-300m-deal-computing-constellation/)
- 2030: Orbital data centers. Sources: [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/technology/2026/06/23/sophia-space-raises-7m-selects-apex-space-bus-for-orbital-compute-demo/)

## What to watch (SpaceNexus note, not a prediction)

Whether Sophia software runs on Kepler satellites in Q4 2026, and whether the Apex demo flies in 2027.

## Funding

Counted in the tracker's verified total: $20.5M.

- 19 May 2025: Pre-seed, $3.5M. Sources: [GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2025/new-space-startup-with-several-seattle-ties-lands-3-5m-to-develop-orbital-data-centers/); [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-closes-pre-seed-financing)
- 24 Feb 2026: Seed, $10M. Sources: [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-closes-10m-seed-round-to-accelerate-orbital-edge-computing)
- 23 Jun 2026: SAFE, $7M. Sources: [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-announces-7-million-safe-financing-bringing-total-funding-to-22-million-302806945.html)

## Cautions

- The SLI $300M is a non-binding letter of support, not committed capital.
- Rounds found sum to $20.5M; the company says $22M. The gap is unexplained.

## People

- Rob DeMillo (co-founder, CEO)
- Leon Alkalai (founder, CTO and chairman)
- Brian Monnin (co-founder, Chief Commercial Officer)
- Jim Chase (VP Engineering)

## Sources

- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/26/sophia-space-raises-10m-seed-to-demo-novel-space-computers/)
- [Supercomputing.news](https://www.supercomputing.news/emerging/sophia-space-orbital-data-center-patent-radiator-area)
- [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-announces-7-million-safe-financing-bringing-total-funding-to-22-million-302806945.html)
- [Payload](https://payloadspace.com/sophia-space-sli-set-terms-for-300m-satellite-leasing-deal/)
- [GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2026/sophia-space-sli-300m-deal-computing-constellation/)
- [GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2025/new-space-startup-with-several-seattle-ties-lands-3-5m-to-develop-orbital-data-centers/)
- [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-closes-pre-seed-financing)
- [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-closes-10m-seed-round-to-accelerate-orbital-edge-computing)
- [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-announces-strategic-collaboration-with-kepler-communications-to-advance-orbital-compute-and-connectivity)
- [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-selects-apex-to-power-realtime-computing-in-orbit-302806905.html)
- [Sophia Space](https://sophia.space/news/sophia-space-and-redwire-team-up-to-advance-orbital-data-center-infrastructure)
- [PR Newswire](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-and-redwire-team-up-to-advance-orbital-data-center-infrastructure-302893808.html)
- [Aviation Week](https://aviationweek.com/space/commercial-space/sophia-space-test-orbital-data-center-tech-apex-sat-2027)
- [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/technology/2026/06/23/sophia-space-raises-7m-selects-apex-space-bus-for-orbital-compute-demo/)

## Licence and credits

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