AGH University of Krakow to Launch Poland's First PocketQube Satellite with Alba Orbital
AGH's "HYPE" Satellite Secures SpaceX Ride with Alba orbital in NET Q4 2024, Elevating National Space Ambitions in poland
Hanna Grechuta (pictured left) and Konrad Rotter (pictured centre) representing SatLab AGH at the annual PocketQube Conference in Glasgow 2023. Also pictured is Alba Orbital’s Unicorn-2 3P PocketQube platform for Earth Observation.
Glasgow, UK - March 7th, 2024 - Alba Orbital, the world’s leading PocketQube launch services provider, has today announced that the AGH University of Krakow (AGH) has signed a Launch Services Agreement (LSA) to launch ‘HYPE’, Poland’s first PocketQube satellite mission. This announcement marks a significant milestone in Poland's space exploration endeavours and underscores AGH University’s commitment to innovation and scientific advancement.
HYPE, a 1p PocketQube satellite developed by AGH’s student engineering organisation, SatLab AGH, is scheduled to launch with Alba Orbital aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle in NET Q4 2024. The HYPE mission was first unveiled at the PocketQube Conference in Glasgow in December 2023, captivating audiences with its innovative design and ambitious mission objectives.
Picture of the HYPE PocketQube displaying it’s ‘selfie stick’ (Credit: AGH University of Krakow).
PocketQubes, like AGH’s HYPE platform, represents a revolutionary advancement in satellite technology, offering a compact and cost-effective solution for space research and exploration.
Despite their small size of 5cm³ per unit (‘P’), PocketQubes retain impressive capabilities, making them ideal for a wide range of scientific, commercial, and educational applications. By leveraging these compact satellites, organizations can access space more affordably and efficiently than ever before.
At the heart of the HYPE mission is an in-orbit demonstration mission with the aims of fostering educational outreach and promoting space access democratisation. Among it’s exciting features is a selfie-stick camera to capture images of Earth while displaying transmitted content via an OLED display. Furthermore, with its small spectroscope, the mission also aims to conduct provisional observations of vegetation and atmospheric water content, contributing to future scientific research.
SatLab AGH student team posing with their HYPE satellite (Credit: AGH University of Krakow).
‘We are proud to support SatLab AGH in launching Poland’s inaugural PocketQube mission’, said Tom Walkinshaw, Founder and CEO of Alba Orbital. ‘The HYPE mission exemplifies our commitment to empowering educational institutions and student-led initiatives in the space sector’.
‘This mission is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team at SatLab AGH, and we look forward to embarking on this exciting journey with Alba Orbital’, said Filip Tomczyk, Technical Project Leader at SatLab AGH. ‘We are confident that HYPE will inspire future generations of scientists and engineers, both within AGH University and beyond’.
Alba Orbital is the leading provider of PocketQube satellite rideshare services, having delivered 41 satellites to orbit to date with launch partners such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab. With a focus on accessibility and reliability, Alba Orbital empowers organizations worldwide to realize their space exploration goals. If you would like to launch your own space based missions, get in touch at contact@albaorbital.com or fill in our contact form.
About Alba Orbital
Alba Orbital (UK, USA, Germany) is the world’s leading PocketQube company that has delivered 41 pico-satellites on-orbit to date. Alba is a vertically integrated NewSpace company ‘democratising access to space’, providing turnkey solutions from advanced pico-satellite platforms, low-cost launch opportunities, and ground station services. Alba has worked with over 30 customers across three continents, including prestigious clients such as Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University and TU Delft.
Press contact: Caius Reza, Head of Business & Marketing
Email: caius.reza@albaorbital.com
About SatLab AGH
SatLab AGH is a student scientific organization whose goal is the construction of CubeSat nanosatellites at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. Our members come from many university faculties, jointly creating a technical and scientific background for real-life space missions. The first project implemented since 2022 is the creation of an observation satellite equipped with a hyperspectral camera. For more information visit our website.