On January 16, 2026, SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for the NROL-105 mission, carrying reconnaissance satellites for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). This mission marked NRO’s first national security launch in 2026 and contributed to the agency’s evolving satellite architecture.
The flight is part of the NRO’s shift toward a “proliferated” satellite architecture, a strategy that uses smaller satellites to improve coverage and resilience. After deploying its satellites, the Falcon 9 booster returned to Vandenberg for a controlled landing, showing how reusable rockets are now routinely used even for classified government missions.
How Falcon 9 powers frequent space missions
Falcon 9 is a two-stage, partially reusable rocket developed by SpaceX and the first orbital-class launch vehicle built for repeated use. It is the company’s most frequently launched rocket and carries satellites, cargo, and crewed spacecraft into orbit.
The rocket’s first stage has nine Merlin engines that provide the thrust to lift the vehicle off the ground, the second stage uses a single Merlin Vacuum engine to carry the payload to orbit. After stage separation, the second stage continues to orbit, while the first stage returns to Earth for a controlled landing. This reusability reduces launch costs and lowers barriers to access to space.
Since its first flight in 2010, Falcon 9 has completed hundreds of missions. In 2025, SpaceX set a new annual record with 165 orbital flights and by late 2025, Falcon 9 boosters had achieved at least 550 successful landings, with some individual boosters flying more than a dozen times
SpaceX’s role in modern spaceflight
The company designs and builds orbital rockets and spacecraft to transport satellites, scientific payloads, cargo, and astronauts into space. Its operational launch vehicles include Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, while the Dragon spacecraft supports both cargo resupply and crewed missions to low Earth orbit. SpaceX is also developing Starship, a fully reusable next-generation launch for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and deeper space.
In 2012, SpaceX became the first private company to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, and later began flying astronauts to the station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Beyond launch services, SpaceX manufactures and deploys Starlink satellites, forming one of the largest satellite constellations currently in orbit.
SpaceX: Patenting Activity
SpaceX placed limited emphasis on patenting its launch vehicle technologies, diverging from conventional aerospace IP practices. Instead, its patent filings, which peaked in 2019 and 2020, were mostly associated with the commercialization of Starlink, the company’s satellite broadband initiative. With the launch of the first 60 Starlink satellites in 2019, these filings were essential to protect satellite communications, antenna systems, and network technologies.
SpaceX: Top Technology Areas
SpaceX’s global patent filings are primarily concentrated in antennas (H01Q) and electric transmission technologies (H04B), highlighting a strong focus on satellite communications and signal transmission systems that support its Starlink broadband network and space operations.
This is followed by filings in the transmission of digital information (H04L) and wireless communication networks (H04W), reflecting continued investment in high-throughput data links and space-based network infrastructure. Beyond these areas, SpaceX’s filings show a broader focus on spacecraft systems, mechanical components, and computing technologies.
The patents supporting SpaceX’s technological systems
Phased array antennas are a cornerstone of modern satellite and wireless communications, enabling precise, high-speed transmission without moving parts. Companies continue to innovate in this area to improve performance, reduce complexity, and support emerging multi-beam and wideband applications. The following patents highlight SpaceX’s focus on developing technologies that make antenna systems more efficient, flexible, and easier to build.
What are phrased array antennas?
A phased array antenna is made of multiple antennas in a particular arrangement. Instead of physically moving to point at a signal, it steers radio waves electronically by adjusting the timing or “phase” of each element. This lets it focus on a specific target, like a satellite, or switch directions quickly, making it useful for satellite communications, radar, and 5G networks.
Optimized beam steering to reduce antenna complexity
U.S. Patent No. 10,770,790 introduces a simpler way for antennas to track satellites by steering signals in just one direction instead of two (uni-dimensional beam steering), which reduces complexity, power consumption, and cost compared with conventional systems.
Phased array antennas are widely used in satellite communications because they steer beams electronically without moving the antenna. Traditional designs, however, rely on two-dimensional phase control to track moving satellites, which increases system complexity, antenna size, power usage, and manufacturing costs.
The patented approach addresses these limitations by steering the beam along a single optimized dimension rather than two. The invention takes advantage of the fact that many satellites follow predictable paths across the sky. By focusing control in one direction, the system reduces hardware requirements and energy consumption.
To keep signal strength high, it boosts performance in the other direction using passive components like lenses or reflectors. This simplified design lowers costs and maintains strong directional performance, making it well suited for commercial and aerospace satellite communications.
The patent, titled “Uni-dimensional steering of phased array antennas”, was filed on February 28, 2018, and granted on September 8, 2020. The patent lists Alireza Mahanfar as the sole inventor.
Efficient multi-channel beamforming through digital aggregation
U.S. Patent No. 10,938,465 introduces channel aggregation and a new phased array antenna design that uses digital signal aggregation to improve efficiency and bandwidth while reducing hardware and power requirements.
The invention addresses a common challenge: increasing speed or bandwidth in phased arrays often requires more hardware and higher power consumption. It does this by digitally shaping and combining multiple data channels before sending them to the antenna. Each channel is adjusted with precise timing and phase controls, then merged into a single signal that passes through shared radio-frequency hardware.
This approach claims to reduce component count, lowers power usage by up to 20–30%, and supports higher-bandwidth transmissions while maintaining signal focus.
The design is intended to make phased array systems more compact and energy-efficient without adding complexity, rather than claiming dramatic performance improvements.
The patent, titled “Channel aggregation digital beamforming”, was filed on May 3, 2020, and granted on March 2, 2021. The patent lists Alireza Mehrnia, Masoud Kahrizi, Carson Pun, Omid Nasiby, and Alex Mirzaei as its inventors.
Integrated chassis architecture for antenna stability
U.S. Patent No. 12,355,148 describes antennas with a reinforced chassis structure that protects internal components from environmental conditions while allowing radio signals to pass through.
Outdoor satellite antennas are exposed to weather, temperature changes, and other environmental stresses. The purpose of this invention is to protect these antennas without interfering with their ability to send and receive signals.
The housing includes a chassis that supports the internal antenna components and a radome, a protective cover that lets radio signals through. The design may incorporate bonding bars or adhesives to secure the antenna stack, heat sinks or thermally conductive materials to manage heat, and a lower enclosure to fully encase the system. Fins or in-plane heat spreaders can help dissipate heat, and materials are chosen for durability and thermal performance.
Overall, the housing is intended to make satellite antennas more resilient to environmental conditions while maintaining reliable communication, rather than introducing new performance features.
The patent, titled “Antenna apparatus having chassis portion”, was filed on December 3, 2020, and granted on July 8, 2025. The patent lists Duncan E. Adams and David Milroy as its inventors. Legal representation for all the patents was handled by Polsinelli.
SpaceX: Top Law Firms
The patent filings of SpaceX are predominantly managed by American law firm Polsinelli, which has a broad legal practice that includes intellectual property. HGF Europe and Mewburn Ellis also represent SpaceX’s patents, with HGF representing its filings before the EPO.
SpaceX’s interplanetary mission
SpaceX is focused on progressing Starship toward its long-term ”Mars & Beyond” mission during the next favorable launch window. These early flights would test landing systems and other technologies needed for future human travel while collecting data to guide later crewed missions and surface operations. Although timelines may shift as development continues, a successful attempt would mark a major step beyond Earth orbit and closer to making Mars exploration a reality.