SpaceX is famous for its emphasis on building as much as possible in-house. When it does buy a manufacturer, it’s worth paying attention. So we took notice when, late last week, SpaceX completed the purchase of Akoustis, a speciality RF filter firm, out of bankruptcy for $30.2M.
Sordid history: Akoustis was founded in 2014 by a group that included several former employees of a rival component maker, called Qorvo. Qorvo sued Akoustis in 2021, alleging patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation.
A federal judge agreed, according to court documents, ruling that Akoustis owed $60M in damages. The penalties put Akoustis on the path to bankruptcy; it filed for Chapter 11 relief in December 2024.
RF wha? RF filters are components used for signal processing in wireless communications—most relevantly, they ensure that your satellite is broadcasting on approved frequencies and not interfering with anyone else.
SpaceX Starlink satellites and terminals would require RF filters. Besides Akoustis’ intellectual property, SpaceX may also have wanted the company’s 125,000 sq ft. clean room manufacturing facility.
Space case: Akoustis was part of a DARPA program developing RF filters for high frequency military satellites, including covering spectrum bands used by SpaceX. Akoustis also had a contract to supply a satellite company, which may have been SpaceX itself.
Modus operandi: SpaceX’s previous acquisition was the $2.2M purchase of Pioneer Aerospace, which supplied parachute rigging for the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and went into bankruptcy in 2023. This latest deal may be another case of rescuing a critical supplier.
SpaceX also acquired Swarm Technologies in 2021 for $524M; while the IoT satellite start-up subsequently ended new device sales, its founders, Sara Spangelo and Benjamin Longmier, have played key roles in Starlink’s direct-to-device capabilities.
