SPACE INDEX COMPANIES INSIGHTS SECTORS PRODUCTS NEWS BLOG ANSWERS RESEARCH ABOUT FOR COMPANIES BUILD / 2026.06.03
Alba Orbital logo Alba Orbital Designs and manufactures PocketQube picosatellites, brokers rideshare launches, and operates a nighttime Earth observation constellation. vs NASA Conducts civilian space exploration, aeronautics research, and space science across human spaceflight, robotic missions, and Earth observation programs NASA logo
HEAD-TO-HEAD1 shared sector
Alba Orbital NASA
Founded 2012 1958
Headquarters Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Type private government
Status operating operating
Employees 14 18,000
Total funding $3.4M
Latest round Seed
Sectors Satellite Manufacturing, Earth Observation & Remote Sensing Planetary Exploration, Earth Observation & Remote Sensing, Launch Services, Space Stations & Habitats
Products listed 5 50
Federal contracts
Launches
Leaders listed Tom Walkinshaw, Irene Belton Shanks Jared Isaacman, Amit Kshatriya, Casey Swails
News mentions 0 44
SHARED SECTORS
FREQUENTLY ASKED

How do Alba Orbital and NASA compare?

Both companies work in Earth Observation & Remote Sensing. Alba Orbital was founded in 2012 and NASA in 1958.

Which is larger, Alba Orbital or NASA?

NASA reports the larger workforce, with 18,000 employees versus 14.

Numbers refresh on every render against the live Space Index database. Federal contract data from USAspending.gov; launches from LaunchLibrary2.