The Y Combinator program which boasts earlier graduates like Airbnb, Stripe, Twitch, Dropbox and Coinbase encourage previous Alumni to invest in more recent graduates and this has enabled Alba Orbital to gain investors such as Fitbit Founder and CEO, James Park.

The firm, which launched in 2021, also announced a record-breaking launch campaign of twenty PocketQubes as part of Alba Cluster X, 3 and 4 via Rocket Lab & SpaceX launch vehicles in Q4 2021.

PocketQubes are tiny satellites small enough to fit in your pocket. They are composed of 5cm cubes per unit, or ‘P’, and can weigh as little as 250g.

Alba Orbital produces its own satellites in-house at its HQ in Glasgow. The firm said that securing the recent funding will ensure its facility, team and output can grow.

Alba’s upcoming flights are set to break the world record for most PocketQubes deployed in orbit; a record previously set by the company in December 2019 after their successful maiden launch which deployed six PocketQubes in orbit from New Zealand.

Alba Orbital’s pico-satellite cluster of 20 PocketQubes will launch aboard Rocket Lab & pace X launch vehicles as soon as November 2021.

Tom Walkinshaw, CEO/Founder Alba Orbital Limited, said: “This a huge milestone for Alba and the Scottish space sector. Our hard-working team are delighted to have secured the funding, which will help to ensure we are on track to break the world record and beyond. Our world record aims later this year will double the number of PocketQubes ever flown to orbit and puts Scotland at the forefront of Space Access Democratization for nations worldwide.”

Ivan McKee, trade, investment and innovation minister, added: “This is fantastic news for Alba Orbital and the whole space sector in Scotland. It once again demonstrates Scotland’s world-leading capabilities in providing affordable access to space and the critical role that the sector is playing in the fight against climate change. Space is a focus for global partnership and cooperation - increasingly, Scotland is at the heart of that process.”