Romanian High School team set to launch their 2nd PocketQube satellite with Alba Orbital as part of new rideshare agreement.
THE CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP WITH ALBA ORBITAL WILL ENABLE ROMSPACE to launch two satellites on board SPaceX’s Falcon 9 later this year
Pictured left to right: George Chirila (Payload Lead), Filip Buscu (Founder; aged 15) & Alexandru Luchianov (Lead Programmer) posing with ROM-2 satellite during satellite integration at Alba Orbital’s Glasgow facilities.
Glasgow, UK - Alba Orbital, the leading PocketQube rideshare services provider, today announced that RomSpace, a team of high school students from the International Computer High School of Bucharest, has signed a second rideshare agreement with the company to launch a new PocketQube satellite in late 2023.
With the average age of team members ranging from 15 to 18 years old, RomSpace is set to launch the 1st Romanian PocketQube satellite (ROM-2) and the country’s second ever satellite mission to orbit with Alba Orbital and SpaceX later this year.
This agreement expands on the high school team’s previous partnership with Alba Orbital, and will see the launch of RomSpace’s new PocketQube satellite, ROM-3. Like its predecessor, ‘Romanian Orbital Mission 2’, ‘ROM-3’ is a 5x5x5cm PocketQube satellite that will improve on RomSpace’s last pico-satellite design with an improved camera resolution and higher efficiency solar panels.
ROM-2 pictured during the satellite integration campaign in Alba Orbital’s cleanroom.
The PocketQube form factor offers a unique and affordable opportunity for educational institutions, such as the International Computer High School of Bucharest, to design and participate in their very own space missions. Weighing only 250g per unit, these tiny pocket-sized satellites are capable of carrying out a variety of space based missions and experiments.
“We are excited to continue our relationship with RomSpace and support their growing space program”, said Tom Walkinshaw, CEO of Alba Orbital. “Their passion for space and their ability to execute their vision at such a young age, is a testament to the future of the space industry and we are proud to be a part of their journey.”
“ROM-2 and ROM-3 are demonstration missions, validifying our technologies in orbit for our upcoming pico-satellite constellation”, said Filip Buscu, team captain and founder of ROMSpace. “We want ROMSpace to be a high school initiative where we’ll have new students learning by building new satellites, while we also develop a startup that iterates on previous designs to create more complex satellites. We couldn’t be any more excited to work on these next launch campaigns with Alba Orbital!”.
RomSpace team members pictured with Dr Martin Dunn, Alba Orbital’s Mission Manager during satellite integration of ROM-2.
As part of this agreement, Alba Orbital will provide the launch and satellite integration services, to enable RomSpace to send their 1p PocketQubes to orbit. RomSpace’s mission is not only to promote space STEM education in Romania, but they also hope to launch their own startup dedicated to mitigating climate change with their own Earth Observation constellation.
This latest agreement with RomSpace highlights Alba Orbital’s commitment to providing affordable access to space and their dedication to advancing space education and outreach. With their expertise in PocketQube technology and launch services, Alba Orbital continues to be a leader in the industry and a trusted partner for those seeking to explore and study space.
Thinking of launching your own PocketQubes? Contact us today and take your first step toward embarking on your next satellite mission! Our team of experts will help you every step of the way, from planning and preparation to launch and operation. We can't wait to see what you'll accomplish 🚀
About Alba Orbital
Alba Orbital (UK, USA, Germany) is the world’s leading PocketQube satellite manufacturer and launch broker. 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.
For more information visit www.albaorbital.com or get in touch at contact@albaorbital.com.
About RomSpace
RomSpace is an association that aims to prove that students can design, build and launch their own spacecraft on orbit and beyond. Right now, we are developing and launching small amateur independent satellites, with the target of having a future constellation of spacecraft that can help combat our most pressing issues such as illegal deforestation, agriculture and climate change.
We are the first association of this kind in Romania.
For more information, visit https://rom-space.ro/