Alba Orbital
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| Alba Orbital | |
|---|---|
| Type | Limited company |
| Industry | Satellite Manufacture |
| Founded | 5 October 2012 [1] |
| Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
| Key people | Tom Walkinshaw |
| Products | Pocketqube Platforms and Components |
| Website | www |
Alba Orbital is a Scottish aerospace company based in Glasgow that develops PocketQube class satellites and satellite deployers and provides launch services for small satellites.[2]
History
[edit]The company was founded by Tom Walkinshaw in 2012.[3] The company is headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland. 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.[4]
Earth Observation
[edit]In 2025, Alba Orbital began releasing Earth observation imagery collected by its Unicorn-2 satellite constellation.[5]
Products
[edit]The company has developed two satellite platforms. The Unicorn-1 platform is a 1P PocketQube satellite. The Unicorn-2 platform, is a 3P Earth observation satellite.[6] The company has also developed two spacecraft deployers. The Albapod 6P can carry up to 6 PocketQube satellites. The 96P deployer can carry up to 96 individual satellites supporting a Satellite constellation mission into orbit. [7]
Partnerships and Programmes
[edit]The company holds contracts with the European Space Agency for ARTES.[8]
In 2026, Alba Orbital was selected for the NATO DIANA Challenge Programme and is listed by NATO DIANA as a member of its 2026 cohort under Resilient Space Operations. [9]
Launch Services
[edit]Alba Orbital arranges rideshare launch opportunities for PocketQube spacecraft, using deployers supplied by the company.[10][11][12]
The following table lists launch missions in which Alba Orbital acted as launch broker or supplied an AlbaPod deployer.
| Alba Orbital launch missions | Date | Launch Vehicle | Payloads | Orginization | Deployment Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alba Cluster 2 | 6 December 2019[13][14] | 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[15] | 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[16] | Electron | MyRadar-1 |
ACME AtronOmatic | Success |
| TRSI 2, 3 |
ACME AtronOmatic | ||||
| Unicorn-2F |
Alba Orbital | ||||
| Alba Cluster (Launcher-1 / Orbiter SN1) | 3 January 2023 | Falcon 9 Block 5 / Orbiter | Unicorn-2G |
Alba Orbital | Failure[17] |
| Unicorn-2H |
Alba Orbital | ||||
| Alba Cluster 6 | 12 June 2023[18] | 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[19] | Falcon 9 Block 5 / ION SCV | Hydra-1 / HADES-D |
Hydra Space / AMSAT EA | Success |
| ROM-3 |
FRR | ||||
 SpaceANT-D |
SpaceIn | ||||
| Tartan Artibeus-2 [20] |
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 | ||||
| Alba Cluster 12 | 30 March 2026[25] | Falcon 9 Block 5 | SpinnyONE |
HYDRA SPACE / Spinning Around | Success |
 Vegafly-1 |
Vegastar/Vietnam Amateur Radio Club (VARC) | ||||
| Decimals-Sat1 |
Ocullo Space | ||||
| Unicorn-2R, 2S |
Alba Orbital | ||||
See also
[edit]- PocketQube – The satellite format Alba Orbital specializes in building
References
[edit]- ↑ "Alba Orbital Limited". gov.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ↑ "AlbaPod: The Most Advanced Space-proven PocketQube Deployer". esa.int. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ↑ Parsonson, Andrew (3 October 2023). "Alba Orbital Move into new PocketQube Manufacturing Facility". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
- ↑ "Scots firm behind pocket-size satellites takes aim at world record after Silicon Valley funding". 26 August 2021.
- ↑ "Unicorn-2 Images". Alba Orbital. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ↑ Wired. "Alba Orbital: pushing the limits of space development". Wired UK.
- ↑ "Unicorn-2 Mission Ideas". Alba Orbital. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ↑ ESA. "ESA ARTES Contractors".
- ↑ "2026 Cohort of Companies". diana.nato.int. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Rocket Lab to Launch Four PocketQube Satellites for Alba Orbital". Rocket Lab. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
- ↑ "Scottish satellite firm plans second PocketQube launch mission". The National. 5 April 2019.
- ↑ Brothers, Eric (19 February 2022). "Alba Orbital launches small satellites from 3D-printed deployment devices". Aerospace Manufacturing and Design. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ↑ Mission: "Running out of Fingers". Rocket Lab.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Clark, Stephen (13 January 2022). "SpaceX launches 105 customer satellites on third Transporter rideshare mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Orbiter SN1 Mission Update". Launcher. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Satellite Designed at CMU Launches into Low-Earth Orbit".
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Lentz, Danny (14 January 2025). "SpaceX Transporter-12 launches more than 100 satellites". NASASpaceflight. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ↑ "SpaceX launches 74 satellites to orbit, lands Falcon 9 rocket for the 400th time (video)". space.com. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ↑ "SpaceX launches 140 spacecraft on Transporter-15 rideshare mission". spaceflightnow.com. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ↑ "SpaceX launches 119 payloads on smallsat rideshare mission from California". spaceflightnow.com. 30 March 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
