Glasgow is a key hub in the Scottish space industry, positioning itself at the forefront of a European revolution in space systems. The city is playing its part in a UK-wide network of space incubators, supporting the UK’s plans to achieve 10% of the global space market by 2030.

Alba Orbital is one of the groundbreaking startups helping to push the limits of space technology. Alba Orbital specialises in building and launching small “Rubik’s-Cube-sized” satellites called PocketQubes into space.

Each PocketQube satellite measures five centimetres per side, weighs under 250 grams, and costs €25,000 per launch. The company also develop and manufacture the Unicorn-1 and Unicorn-2 satellite platforms.

As the leading PocketQube rideshare provider, they have launched more than any other organisation worldwide – approximately 50% of all those ever flown.

Recently, Alba Orbital signed a multi-launch contract with Turkish start-up Hello Space to launch four PocketQube satellites via a SpaceX rocket. SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, is a leading spacecraft manufacturer and launch service provider headquartered in Hawthorne, California.

These mini satellites are designed to enhance global connectivity through the Internet of Things (IoT) following the successful 2023 demonstration mission of the “Istanbul” satellite. Under the new contract, Alba Orbital will deploy four PocketQubes into a sun-synchronous orbit using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. This collaboration aims to bridge connectivity gaps and improve data transmission worldwide, supporting applications such as environmental monitoring, asset tracking, and communication network enhancement.