Building the world ’ s smallest satellite from bedroom to outer space … A start-up success
TRENDS
From small beginnings
Building the world ’ s smallest satellite from bedroom to outer space … A start-up success
In a small bedroom , six years ago , Tom Walkinshaw started a company that is now building the world ’ s smallest satellite platform , the Unicorn-1 , in cooperation with ESA .
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS Alba Orbital has already built strong relationships with national space agencies internationally , and is now in advanced talks concerning in-orbit testing with the world leaders in space components . With its first launch mid-2018 , Alba Orbital is quickly establishing itself as a leader in miniature satellites and offthe-shelf components .
Having graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University , Tom started the business as a method of sending human ashes into space , where they would spend four years in orbit before burning up in the atmosphere . Upon discovering that there wasn ’ t the demand he expected for space burial , Tom moved his efforts into building PocketQube ( 5cm x 5cm x 5cm ) format satellites , having discovered the format on a small satellite enthusiast forum . Alba Orbital then worked to design and manufacture components for PicoSatellites and PocketQube format spacecraft , and was a significant contributor to the PQ60 format , which is
Alba Orbital is driven by the goal of democratising space , lowering barriers for entrepreneurs now the standard for almost all Pico Satellite missions . The company has grown quickly to now employ 11 FTE staff .
Democratising space Taking technology originally designed for mobile phones , Alba Orbital is able to achieve high performance on such a small platform through miniaturisation . Unicorn-2 , its next platform , is under development and introduces groundbreaking specifications with projected performance comparable to a 3U CubeSat , which is twice the size .
Driven by the goal of democratising space , the idea is to lower access barriers to space to make it much easier for entrepreneurs and those who have never considered space to take advantage of the massive advantages it can bring . The company also has a project which aims to revolutionise how space-grade semiconductors are tested . ■
© Alba Orbital 2017
78 | UKSPA breakthrough | SUMMER 2017