CASE STUDIES
CASE STUDIES
More than 12 Years of Successful Projects
Since embarking on the development of nanosatellites more than 12 years ago, the Alén Space team has led international missions, obtaining landmark achievements that have positioned us where we are today, such as placing the first Spanish nanosatellite in orbit or developing the first CubeSat sent by the UN. Below are a few details of our key projects to date.
AlfaCrux
2022
Project with the UnB, FAPDF and AEB (Brazil)
Launched on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, USA
- 1U class
A team of students from UnB participates in a complete CubeSat-type mission that will allow experiments to be carried out in communications field and study the effects of the space weather on satellite communications in equatorial latitudes. Alén Space provides more than 12 years of experience in designing, manufacturing and operating small satellites to complete the mission in a record time.
Sateliot
2021
- Project with Sateliot
Launched on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
- 3U class
Sateliot will launch a constellation of nanosatellites to democratise the Internet of Things with 5G coverage. Its future constellation up to 100 nanosatellites is scheduled to start offering commercial service from 2023. At the moment, Alén Space has designed and developed the payload for the first CubeSat (3B5GSAT) of the constellation, obtaining successful in-orbit results.
Lume-1
2018
- Project with UVigo (Spain), U.Porto (Portugal) and LAAS (France)
- Launched on a Soyuz rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome
- 2U class
Lume-1 is a nanosatellite developed within the framework of the European FireRS project, a tool for the early detection of forest fires and to provide support for characterising and extinguishing them. The Alén Space team was commissioned with developing and including the payloads, as well as handling the satellite launch and later operations.
SERPENS
2015
- Project with the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB)
- Launched from the International Space Station (ISS)
- 3U class
The Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) selected and hired the Alén Space team to manufacture the SERPENS nanosatellite. This CubeSat was developed from the highly successful results of the Xatcobeo and HUMSAT-D satellite designs, in partnership with a team of Brazilian engineers. It was launched in 2015 from the International Space Station.
DustCube
2015-2016
- Project with ESA and NASA
- Study phase of Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM)
- 3U class
The European Space Agency invited the Alén Space team to form part of the DustCube project, a nanosatellite created to study the impact it can produce on an asteroid in order to divert its trajectory in the Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) project. DustCube had to be capable of withstanding impacts, radiation and extreme temperatures. We were responsible for drawing up the mission’s feasibility study.
HUMSAT-D
2013
- Project with UNOOSA and ESA
- Launch on the Russian rocket Dnepr-1
- 1U class
HUMSAT-D is considered to be the first nanosatellite launched by the UN. It is a system for collecting data for humanitarian purposes, a project backed by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). It was launched in 2013 and operated for a year by the Alén Space team, during which time all the mission’s objectives were met.
Xatcobeo
2012
- Project with the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA)
- Launched on the Vega rocket: ESA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI)
- 1U class
In 2012 Xatcobeo became the first Spanish nanosatellite in space and the Alén Space team’s first major achievement. Our professionals led the development phase of this project and the later operations in orbit over the following two and a half years.