What Alén Space does

Alén Space (ALÉN SPACE, S.L.) is a Spanish private company headquartered in Nigrán, Pontevedra, that designs, manufactures, and operates small satellites, with a heritage tracing back to 2008 as a spin-off of the University of Vigo. Its product stack is unified around Software-Defined Radio (SDR) technology and includes satellite platforms (3U, 6U, and 16U-class buses), the TOTEM and TREVO SDR subsystems, the DARA on-board computer (ARM Cortex M7, PC/104), specialized payloads for maritime (AIS, VDES) and aviation (ADS-B) tracking, a multi-application payload, and a ground segment consisting of GS-KIT stations, SDR-RACK transceivers, and the cloud-or-on-premise Mission Control Software (MCS) built on NASA OpenMCT with KSAT and Leaf Space integrations. The company reports 100% mission success across its flight heritage, including Xatcobeo (2012), Lume-1 (2018), and more recently SATMAR (2025) and the joint GMV/Alén Space Celeste IOD-1 navigation satellite (2026).

Alén Space serves three primary customer segments: governmental space agencies and defense organizations (ESA, INTA, DLR, ETRI, Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana, Spanish AGA), commercial satellite operators and telecom companies (Sateliot), and research institutions and universities (Universidade de Brasília). It monetizes through three revenue streams: turnkey smallsat mission services (professional services, multi-year contracts), product sales of platforms, SDRs, OBCs, payloads, and ground hardware (hardware sales), and Mission Control Software (subscription/recurring, with annual support). Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supported by datasheet and CAD downloads, with active presence at SmallSat, IAC, and Space Tech Expo Europe to generate leads.

Since June 2023, Alén Space has operated as a subsidiary of GMV Innovating Solutions S.L., retaining its own brand, product portfolio, and operational autonomy while leveraging GMV's institutional reach. Prior to the acquisition, the company raised 1 million euros from BeAble Capital and CDTI in December 2019 and has supplemented venture capital with Spanish and EU non-dilutive funding (NEOTEC 2020, Ports 4.0, GAIN, SHIPMATE/SATMAR public grants). It is ISO 9001:2015 certified and reports collaborations with over 60 clients across more than 25 countries.

Name

Alén Space

Legal name

ALÉN SPACE, S.L.

Website

https://alen.space

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alén Space is a Spanish nanosatellite company and University of Vigo spin-off that designs, builds, and operates small satellites and subsystems. It serves space agencies, defense organizations, commercial operators, and universities with SDR-based platforms, payloads, and mission control software, now operating as a GMV subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Satellite Systems

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Satellite Telecommunications (51741)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI), Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD), Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT) (IMABACAK), Ground Segment Systems (Ground Stations, TT&C, Mission Ops) (IMABACAJ), Satellite, GNSS & Positioning RF ICs (HDAHAMAJ)

Keywords

• Small satellite systems
• Nanosatellite platforms
• Software defined radio
• Satellite mission services
• Satellite ground segment

Headquarters

HQ city

Nigrán

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Turnkey Small Satellite Missions: End-to-end mission development services including platform and mission design, AIV phase, and operations support. Custom satellite solutions for agencies, companies, and institutions.
2. Space and Ground Segment Products: Sale of satellite platforms (3U, 6U, 12U, 16U), SDR subsystems, on-board computers, payloads, and ground station equipment. Hardware and software product catalog with flight heritage.
3. Mission Control Software: Software platform for satellite operations, available as cloud-based or on-premise deployment with annual support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Alén Space designs, manufactures, and operates small satellites and nanosatellites, providing end-to-end turnkey mission services for space agencies, commercial operators, and research institutions. The offering spans CubeSat platforms (3U/6U), software-defined radio subsystems (TOTEM, TREVO), on-board computers, AIS/ADS-B payloads, ground station equipment, and Mission Control Software, all unified by a proprietary SDR technology foundation.

Product overview

Alén Space is a Spanish small satellite technology company that provides end-to-end mission services including design, manufacture, and operation of small satellites. The product portfolio consists of three hardware platform tiers (3U, 6U, and 6U variants), modular SDR subsystems (TOTEM and TREVO), an on-board computer (DARA OBC), specialized payloads for maritime (AIS, VDES) and aviation (ADS-B) tracking, a multi-application SDR payload, ground segment equipment (GS-KIT stations and SDR-RACK transceivers), and Mission Control Software (MCS) for satellite operations. The ecosystem is unified by shared SDR technology foundations and GNURadio compatibility across radio, payload, and ground systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TOTEM Software Defined Radio High-performance Software Defined Radio (SDR) for small satellite communication with embedded Linux and GNURadio compatibility, supporting 2xTX and 3xRX channels with in-orbit reconfiguration capability, in PC/104 form factor.
• TREVO Modular SDR Modular high-performance SDR platform with flight heritage, configurable design with up to 4 external modules, Zynq Ultrascale+ SoC with embedded Linux and GNURadio compatibility, wideband transceivers from 47 MHz to 6 GHz.
• DARA On-Board Computer Low power, high-performance on-board computer in PC104 form factor for LEO nanosatellites and microsatellites with ARM Cortex M7 microcontroller (up to 280 MHz), integrated IMU with magnetometer/gyroscope/accelerometer, GNSS options, and AES256 security.
• 3U CubeSat Platform CubeSat 3U platform with payload mass capacity of 570-1400g and payload volume of 1.4-2.2U for LEO missions.
• 6U CubeSat Platform CubeSat 6U platform with payload mass of 6900-7825g, payload volume of 3.5-4.7U, peak power consumption of 180W, and optional propulsion.
• AIS Payload Automatic Identification System receiver payload based on SDR technology for ship monitoring and maritime traffic control, operating in VHF band at 156-162 MHz with 4 AIS standard channels and -107 dBm sensitivity.
• ADS-B Payload Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast receiver payload for aircraft tracking and air traffic management, operating in L-Band at 1090 MHz, tracking ICAO code, position, altitude, velocity, and heading.
• Multi-Application SDR Payload Multi-application SDR payload supporting simultaneous use of ADS-B, AIS, feeder link, and spectrum monitoring applications on a single motherboard with up to 2 TX and 3 RX bands.
• Mission Control Software (MCS) Mission control platform for satellite telecommanding, telemetry reception, pass planning, and ground station booking, available as cloud-based or on-premise deployment, compatible with NASA OpenMCT dashboard, with programmable procedures in Groovy and REST API integration.
• GS-KIT Ground Station Complete ground station kit for LEO satellites supporting UHF, VHF and S-band reception with SDR-Rack, antennas, rotors, LNAs, and control software.
• SDR-RACK Ground Transceiver Ground station transceiver system for VHF/UHF and S-band frequencies, integrating SDRs and frontends for satellite communications with GNURadio compatibility.
• Turnkey Small Satellite Mission Services End-to-end turnkey small satellite mission development services covering platform and mission design, AIV (Assembly, Integration, Verification) phase, and operations support. Custom satellite solutions for space agencies, companies, and institutions, with 100% mission success rate.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% mission success rate across all projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• GMV Innovating Solutions S.L.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023GMV acquired Alén Space S.L. in June 2023 to strengthen GMV's footprint in space traffic management and small satellite solutions. Alén Space operates as part of the GMV group while maintaining its product portfolio and operations.
• EgatelmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in SHIPMATE project (VDES and 5G network development) and SATMAR project (VDES nanosatellite). Joint development of maritime communications solutions.
• GradiantmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in SHIPMATE project for VDES and 5G maritime communications network development.
• Space BDminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaboration agreement for the Japanese market, expanding distribution presence in Asia.
• University of VigocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpin-off company from University of Vigo, maintaining close ties for research and talent development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GomSpace: Swedish listed CubeSat and small satellite manufacturer offering end-to-end mission services, satellite platforms, payloads, and ground segment. Direct competitor to Alén Space in the same nanosatellite/SDR product category with overlapping government and commercial customers.
• AAC Clyde Space: Scotland-based small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider with a product portfolio spanning CubeSat platforms, payloads, and ground segment. Highly comparable to Alén Space across product offering, target customer base (space agencies, commercial operators), and SDR-based payloads.
• Innovative Solutions In Space (ISIS): Dutch small satellite manufacturer specializing in CubeSat platforms, subsystems (including SDR and on-board computers), and launch services. Directly comparable to Alén Space in modular CubeSat bus design and institutional customer focus.
• NanoAvionics: Lithuanian small satellite bus and mission services company serving commercial constellation operators and government customers. Overlapping product portfolio (small satellite buses, IoT payloads) makes it a direct peer to Alén Space.
• EnduroSat: Bulgarian CubeSat and small satellite platform provider with modular bus designs and ground segment offerings. Comparable to Alén Space in serving commercial and academic/institutional customers with turnkey nanosatellite solutions.
• Open Cosmos: UK-based small satellite mission provider offering end-to-end satellite design, manufacturing, launch, and operations with a focus on IoT and Earth observation. Direct peer in the European small satellite turnkey services market.

Broad incumbents

• Spire Global: US-listed operator of a large nanosatellite constellation providing weather, maritime, and aviation data services. A broader incumbent that overlaps with Alén Space in the small satellite platform category but operates at significantly greater scale with vertically integrated data products.
• Planet Labs: US-listed Earth observation company operating one of the largest commercial small satellite fleets. A broader incumbent in the small satellite ecosystem, not a direct competitor to Alén's SDR/communications payload focus but a benchmark for the category.

Others

• Leaf Space: Italian ground-station-as-a-service provider that integrates with Alén Space's Mission Control Software. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but serves the same institutional customers for satellite operations.
• KSAT (Kongsberg Satellite Services): Norwegian ground station operator that integrates with Alén Space's MCS platform for GSaaS pass booking. Adjacent infrastructure provider in the same small satellite ecosystem but not a competing manufacturer.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/alenspace
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYClXKq3fSBhmuFAe6z6mug
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alenspace
• Instagraminstagram.com/alenspaceofficial

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alén Space