PION Labs enters Launch Agreement with Alba Orbital to Launch Brazil’s First PocketQube Satellite to Orbit via SpaceX in Q4 2021.
Brazilian new-space startup team up with world leading PocketQube launch broker, Alba Orbital, to deploy Brazil’s first pico-satellite in-orbit via SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Wed April 28th, 2021 -- Glasgow, UK -- Alba Orbital Inc and PION Labs today announced a rideshare agreement to launch Brazil’s first PocketQube satellite, PION-BR1, aboard the upcoming ‘Alba Cluster 4’ mission. The mission is scheduled to launch via SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket using Alba Orbital’s flight proven AlbaPod to deploy the satellites in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
PION-BR1 is a 1P PocketQube satellite measuring at only 5x5x5cm, and is the first spacecraft of its kind in Brazil. The satellite will be a technological demonstrator for the solution under development by PION, designed to provide accessible, secure and reliable IoT (Internet of Things) communications through a constellation of small satellites. Also, the PION-BR1 will provide data and a beacon for radiomateurs as a secondary mission.
‘PocketQubes’ are tiny muffin-sized satellites made up of 5cm cubes that are small enough to fit in your pocket. Sometimes referred to as ‘Cubesat’s little cousin’, PocketQubes are ‘democratising access to space’ as their smaller form factor breaks down the economic barriers for smaller organisations to build and launch their own satellites.
Based in São Paulo, Brazil, PION Labs develops educational PocketQube kits as a way of inspiring students and teachers in Brazil to engage with space technologies and to promote wider STEM education outreach across the nation. PION-BR1 will be their first PocketQube to reach orbit and achieve valuable ‘space heritage’, demonstrating to students that they can also reach for the stars.
“We are very happy to contribute to the education process of students, bringing them closer to space technologies by applying a project-based learning approach that’s focused on a space mission", said Calvin Trubiene, CEO and Co-founder of PION. "PION's kits are consolidated as small satellite technologies, and the launch of PION-BR1 with Alba Orbital will demonstrate simple and easy access of space for Brazilian and Latin American students."
PION Co-Founder, João Pedro.
PION Co-Founder, Gabriel Yamato.
"We are thrilled to work with PION Labs in launching the first Brazilian PocketQube to orbit, and we are proud to have more teams join us (Alba Orbital) in the small sat revolution to democratise access to space’’, adds Tom Walkinshaw, CEO & Founder of Alba Orbital. “We’re seeing more organisations working to demonstrate the value of PocketQubes as a tool to inspire the next generation of future space workers, and we are pleased to have PION Labs share our vision.”
Alba Orbital integrating AlbaPod to Rocket Lab’s ‘Electron’ launch vehicle prior to Alba Cluster 2 launch (2019) (Left to right: Alan Easdale, Mechanical Engineer, Tom Walkinshaw, Founder & CEO, & Dr. Martin Dunn, Mechanical Engineer/Mission Manager.)
The Cluster 4 launch campaign (Dec 2021) builds on Alba’s unrivaled PocketQube launch portfolio. This includes their Cluster 2 launch (2019) with Rocket Lab, which successfully deployed six PocketQubes in-orbit from New Zealand, as well as the sold out Alba Cluster 3 campaign, scheduled to launch a record breaking number of PocketQubes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with SpaceX in Q2 2021.
PION Labs are the latest team to be announced as part of the Alba Cluster 4 launch campaign. Recently announced teams include Carnegie Mellon University, who are launching the world’s first ‘Orbital Edge Computing’ PocketQube, and Innova Space from Argentina, who are developing an IoT constellation of 100 PocketQubes.
Launch slots for Cluster 5 (Q1 2022), Cluster 6 (Q2 2022) and Cluster 7 (Q4 2022) are now on sale, with prices starting from 25k euro for a 1P PocketQube launch slot. Alba Orbital provides the lowest price to launch a satellite to orbit on a reliable flight proven launch system. For more information on procuring and launching your own satellite, please visit www.albaorbital.com/launch or get in touch at contact@albaorbital.com.
About Alba Orbital Inc
Founded in 2012, Alba Orbital (Glasgow, Scotland) is the world’s leading PocketQube satellite manufacturer and launch broker. To date, the company has successfully deployed more PocketQube satellites in-orbit than any other organisation worldwide. Alba is a vertically integrated new-space company who are ‘democratising access to space’, providing turnkey solutions from advanced pico-satellite platforms, low-cost launch opportunities, ground station services and much more. Alba has worked with over 25 customers across three continents, including prestigious clients such as Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University and TU Delft. For more information visit www.albaorbital.com or get in touch at contact@albaorbital.com.
About PION Labs
PION is a Brazilian company with the purpose of democratizing access to space. To date, PION developed and tested hybrid-propellant rockets, successfully launched a hybrid sounding rocket for proving technological maturity, and organized the largest competition for rockets and satellites projects in Latin America: the Latin American Space Challenge (LASC). For more information, please visit www.pionlabs.com.br.