Alba Orbital

Alba Orbital
Company typeLimited company
IndustrySatellite Manufacture
Founded5 October 2012 [1]
Headquarters
Glasgow
,
United Kingdom
Key people
Tom Walkinshaw
ProductsPocketqube Platforms and Components
Websitewww.albaorbital.com

Overview

Alba Orbital is a Scottish company that specializes in designing and building PocketQube satellites and Albapod[2] satellite deployers. The company has developed two satellite platforms. The Unicorn-1 platform is a 1P (5cm x 5cm x 5cm) PocketQube satellite, while its larger counterpart, Unicorn-2, is a 3P satellite (5cm x 5cm x 15cm).[3] Albapod deployers come in two sizes: 6P and 96P.[4]

History

The company was founded by Tom Walkinshaw in 2012.[5]

Earth Observation Service

As of 2025 Alba have started publishing images collected on their Unicorn-2[6] satellite constellation.

Launch Broker and Rideshare Services

Alba Orbital a satellite launch broker, purchasing capacity from launch service providers, including SpaceX and Rocket Lab.[7] to carry Albapod deployer clusters[8][9] to space. The capacity within the clusters is then used to carry Alba Orbital satellites as well as other PocketQube payloads to space in a rideshare arrangement.

The company holds contracts with the European Space Agency for ARTES.[10]

Interstellar Communication[11] Holdings signed a rideshare agreement with Alba Orbital to assist in the launch of its icMercury[12] PocketQube satellite via SpaceX to be launched in early 2025.[13]


Mission Name Date Launch Vehicle Payloads Customers Deployment Outcome
Alba Cluster 2 6 December 2019[14][15] Electron ATL-1 BME Success
FossaSat-1 FOSSA Systems
NOOR 1A, 1B (Unicorn-2B, 2C) Stara Space
SMOG-P BME
TRSI-1 ACME AtronOmatic
Alba Cluster 3 13 January 2022[16] Falcon 9 Block 5 Delfi-PQ TU Delft Success
EASAT-2 AMSAT EA
Grizu-263a ZBEU
HADES AMSAT EA
MDQube-SAT 1 Innova Space
Alba Cluster 4 PION-BR1 PION Labs
SATLLA 2A, 2B Ariel University
Tartan Artibeus-1 (Unicorn-2TA1) CMU
Unicorn-1 Alba Orbital
Unicorn-2A, 2D, 2E Alba Orbital
Alba Cluster X 2 May 2022[17] Electron MyRadar-1 ACME AtronOmatic Success
TRSI 2, 3 ACME AtronOmatic
Unicorn-2F Alba Orbital
Alba Cluster (?) 3 January 2023 Falcon 9 Block 5 / Orbiter Unicorn-2G Alba Orbital Failure[18]
Unicorn-2H Alba Orbital
Alba Cluster 6 12 June 2023[19] Falcon 9 Block 5 / ION SCV Istanbul Hello Space Success
MRC-100 BME
ROM-2 ICHSB
Satlla-2I Ariel University
Unicorn-2I Alba Orbital
URESAT-1 AMSAT-EA
Alba Cluster 7 11 November 2023[20] Falcon 9 Block 5 / ION SCV Hydra-1 / HADES-D Hydra Space / AMSAT EA Success
ROM-3 FRR
SpaceANT-D SpaceIn
Tartan Artibeus-2 CMU
Unicorn-2J, 2K Alba Orbital
Alba Cluster 8 1 December 2023[21] Falcon 9 Block 5 / ION SCV MDQubesat-1 Innova Space Success
Unicorn-2L, 2M, 2N Alba Orbital
Alba Cluster 9 14 January 2025[22] Falcon 9 Block 5 / ION SCV Skylink-1 Hello Space Success
Skylink-2 Hello Space
HYPE AGH University
PROMETHEUS-1 Minho University
Poquito University of Luxembourg
Hades-R Hydra Space
Hades-T Hydra Space
Alba Cluster 10 15 March 2025[23] Falcon 9 Block 5 / ION SCV Unicorn-2O, 2P, 2Q Alba Orbital Success
Hades-ICM HYDRA SPACE / IC MERCURY / SMART IR
Hades-W Hydra Space
Alba Cluster 11 28 November 2025[24] Falcon 9 Block 5 / ION SCV Hunity BME Success
SARI-01 Ideia Space / Saudi Space Agency
SARI-02 Ideia Space / Saudi Space Agency
ANISCSAT Azercosmos

Funding

In 2021, Alba Orbital participated in the startup accelerator program Y Combinator, located in Silicon Valley, United States. They raised US$3.4 million after completing the program.[25]

See also

  • PocketQube – The satellite format Alba Orbital specializes in building

References

  1. ^ "Alba Orbital Limited". gov.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  2. ^ "AlbaPod: The Most Advanced Space-proven PocketQube Deployer". esa.int. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  3. ^ Wired. "Alba Orbital: pushing the limits of space development". Wired UK.
  4. ^ "Unicorn-2 Mission Ideas". Alba Orbital. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  5. ^ Parsonson, Andrew (3 October 2023). "Alba Orbital Move into new PocketQube Manufacturing Facility". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  6. ^ "Unicorn-2 Images". Alba Orbital. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Rocket Lab to Launch Four PocketQube Satellites for Alba Orbital". Rocket Lab. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  8. ^ "Scottish satellite firm plans second PocketQube launch mission". The National. 5 April 2019.
  9. ^ Brothers, Eric (19 February 2022). "Alba Orbital launches small satellites from 3D-printed deployment devices". Aerospace Manufacturing and Design. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  10. ^ ESA. "ESA ARTES Contractors".
  11. ^ "Interstellar Communication - Investment Company & Financial Advisory Services in New York". dgipl.com. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  12. ^ "Your Personal Messenger to Space | icMercury". 26 May 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  13. ^ "Interstellar Communication Holdings announces agreement with Alba Orbital for icMercury launch – SatNews". news.satnews.com. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  14. ^ Mission: "Running out of Fingers". Rocket Lab.
  15. ^ "Next Generation Electron Booster on the Pad for Rocket Lab's 10th Mission". Rocket Lab USA (Press release). Huntington Beach, California: Rocket Lab. 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024.
  16. ^ Clark, Stephen (13 January 2022). "SpaceX launches 105 customer satellites on third Transporter rideshare mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Rocket Lab Successfully Deploys 34 Satellites and Catches Rocket Booster Returning from Space with Helicopter" (Press release). Long Beach, California: Rocket Lab. 2 May 2022. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2022 – via Business Wire.
  18. ^ "Orbiter SN1 Mission Update". Launcher. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Starlink 5–11 launches from Florida as astronomy impacts in focus". NASASpaceFlight.com. 11 June 2023. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  20. ^ "SpaceX to launch 90 payloads on Transporter-9 Falcon 9 mission from Vandenberg – Spaceflight Now". Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  21. ^ "SpaceX launches Irish, South Korean satellites and lands its 250th rocket". Space.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  22. ^ Lentz, Danny (14 January 2025). "SpaceX Transporter-12 launches more than 100 satellites". NASASpaceflight. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  23. ^ "SpaceX launches 74 satellites to orbit, lands Falcon 9 rocket for the 400th time (video)". space.com. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  24. ^ "SpaceX launches 140 spacecraft on Transporter-15 rideshare mission". spaceflightnow.com. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  25. ^ "Scots firm behind pocket-size satellites takes aim at world record after Silicon Valley funding". 26 August 2021.
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