Alba Orbital
Designs and manufactures PocketQube picosatellites, brokers rideshare launches, and operates a nighttime Earth observation constellation
Alba Orbital designs and manufactures PocketQube-format picosatellites and provides end-to-end launch brokerage services from its base in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 2012, the company has launched over 57 PocketQube satellites across 10 missions via rideshare partnerships with SpaceX and Rocket Lab, more than any other organization in the format.
The company's flagship product is the Unicorn-2, a 3p PocketQube platform developed in partnership with ESA that delivers performance comparable to a 3U CubeSat at a fraction of the cost. Alba Orbital also operates the AlbaPod deployer system for integrating PocketQubes onto launch vehicles, and the Alba Connect ground station platform for satellite communications.
In addition to satellite manufacturing and launch services, Alba Orbital operates a constellation of Unicorn-2 satellites dedicated to nighttime Earth observation, providing 24-meter resolution imagery of the Earth at night for government and commercial clients. The company serves over 30 customers across four continents, including ESA, Stanford University, and TU Delft, and operates entities in the United States and Germany alongside its Glasgow headquarters.
Operates a space-based satellite constellation providing space domain awareness services and Earth observation data for environmental monitoring
Builds multi-sensor imaging satellites that fuse SAR and optical data in a single pass for all-weather, day-and-night Earth observation
Builds space surveillance satellites and ground-based sensor networks for space domain awareness, missile warning, and space traffic management