Sophia Space Selects Spherical as Power Systems Supplier for its Athena In-Space Demo

Spherical, a Netherlands-based aerospace company, has been selected to lead the design and delivery of the complete Electrical Power System (EPS) and battery architecture for Sophia Space’s Athena Project, an in-orbit demonstration of its TILE computing technology. 

The selection marks the Dutch company’s first major U.S. commercial contract and a significant milestone in its expansion into the American space market.

Based in Rotterdam, Spherical develops spacecraft electronics down to the chip level, giving its engineers comparatively greater control over system design, performance and integration. For Athena, Spherical will apply that approach to one of the spacecraft’s most critical systems: hardware responsible for managing and distributing power.

“Sophia Space is leading the way in the next generation of on-orbit compute, and we’re excited to support them by powering the mission,” said Thomas Parry, Founder and CEO of Spherical. “The Sophia team has been wonderful to work with, and we look forward to continuing that relationship as Athena moves toward flight.”

“Athena is an important milestone for Sophia Space as we move our orbital computing technology toward flight, and having the right partners around that technology is critical,” added Rob DeMillo, CEO and Co-Founder of Sophia Space. “We selected Spherical because of the depth of its power systems expertise and its ability to work closely with our team on solutions tailored to the mission. This partnership brings us another step closer to demonstrating TILE in orbit.”

The Sophia TILE is a modular, scalable and passively cooled computing and data-storage architecture, designed to enable high-performance processing in the space environment. 

High-performance computing generates significant heat, while the vacuum of space makes the scaling of conventional cooling approaches impractical. TILE addresses that challenge through flat, modular compute slabs that integrate power, processing and passive thermal management, allowing heat to radiate directly into space without relying on active cooling systems.

Power is fundamental to making the architecture work.

Spherical will deliver a flight-qualified electrical power system from its modular product line, tailored to Athena’s specific mechanical, electrical and interface requirements. Its engineering team will also work closely with Sophia Space from requirements definition through integration and qualification ahead of the planned Q4 2027 demonstration.

Technical work on Athena is set to begin in coming days, with the mission targeting flight in Q4 2027.

For Spherical, the program represents an opportunity to demonstrate its power technology in orbit alongside a new approach to space-based computing; and to establish its broader flight hardware capabilities in the U.S. commercial space market.

The proof, in other words, will be in orbit.

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About Spherical:

Based in Rotterdam, Spherical provides full-stack space electronics designed to meet the rigorous demands of the modern orbital economy. Our core focus is on high-performance power systems (including PDUs and PCDUs) and control electronics. By developing our own system-specific silicon, we deliver electronics that are highly reliable, software-configurable, and fundamentally superior in Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) efficiency. We don't just supply hardware; we architect the reliable electronics foundation required for complex space operations. Learn more at spherical-systems.com.

 About Sophia Space Inc.

Sophia Space is building the future of orbital computing and in-space data centers. Its modular TILE (Thermal-Integrated LEO Edge) technology enables passive computing alongside in-situ data processing, AI acceleration, and edge computing for satellites, defense systems, and commercial space stations—dramatically reducing latency and delivering actionable insights where and when they are needed. Learn more at www.sophia.space

Media Contacts:

Conor Sutherland, Head of Commercial, Spherical, c.sutherland@spherical-systems.com

David Ariosto, Executive Director, Communications, Sophia Space
dariosto@sophia.space