Polispace
PoliSpace is a non-profit student space association at Politecnico di Milano with 350+ active members developing CubeSat, rover, space medicine, and VR space-habitat projects. It bridges Italian academia and industry through hands-on engineering, industry partnerships, and a spin-off pipeline to the space sector.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersMilano, Italy
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Polispace does
PoliSpace's technology stack centers on student-led aerospace engineering: CubeSat subsystems including EPS, ADCS, structural panels, antennas, and onboard computers; perovskite solar cell testing circuits (PESCA) provided by Cambridge University and Potsdam Research Group; multi-layer structural battery panels from Volta Structural Energy; VR/AR habitat testing via Meta Quest 2; and laser power transmission payload research. The association operates as a community-led organization rather than a commercial entity, with a go-to-market motion built on bi-annual recruitment drives (February and September), open student recruitment via university channels, and bi-directional partnerships with industry for component supply, sponsorships, and talent pipeline. Revenue mechanics are non-commercial: Politecnico di Milano provides direct funding and facilities, corporate partners contribute in-kind components and software (Altair, Ansys, Esatan, D-orbit, Leafspace, Sidereus, OrbAstro), and the association supplements with competition prize money (notably €30,000 from Switch2Product) and public donations via PayPal and bank transfer. No products or services are sold; participation is free for members.
Polispace firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Polispace
- Legal name
- PoliSpace
- Website
- https://polispace.it
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- PoliSpace is a non-profit student space association at Politecnico di Milano with 350+ active members developing CubeSat, rover, space medicine, and VR space-habitat projects. It bridges Italian academia and industry through hands-on engineering, industry partnerships, and a spin-off pipeline to the space sector.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Polispace industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aerospace Engineering Education
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Space Structures, Mechanisms & Thermal Control (IMABACAF), Space Power Systems (Solar Arrays, Batteries, EPS) (IMABACAH)
Keywords
Where Polispace is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milano
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Polispace business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- University Funding & Support: Politecnico di Milano provides funding, facilities, expertise, and resources to support student projects. The university has directly funded components for the 6S CubeSat including solar cells, onboard computers, ADCS sensors and actuators, antenna, EPS subsystem, and structural components.
- Corporate Sponsorships & Partnerships: Companies provide components, software tools, sponsorships, and support in exchange for collaboration with student teams. Partners include D-orbit, Leafspace, Sidereus, Altair, Esatan, Ansys, and Volta Structural Energy.
- Competition Prize Money: The association wins prize money and acceleration programs from competitions. SunCubes won 30,000 EUR from Switch2Product competition and secured third place at T-TEC international competition by Telespazio.
- Donations: PoliSpace accepts donations through PayPal and bank transfer to support project development, particularly for the 6S CubeSat project reaching space.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Polispace product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PoliSpace is the largest student space association at Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi), with 350+ active members developing hands-on space engineering projects. The association is currently designing a 1U CubeSat (6S) for Q1 2028 launch, a rover for the European Rover Challenge, and a portfolio of sub-projects in space medicine, space architecture, mission analysis, and telecommunications & operations. It bridges Italian academia and the space industry by providing students with project experience and connecting them with industry partners via sponsorships, internships, and job opportunities.
Product overview
Polispace is a student space association at Politecnico di Milano that operates as a project-based organization rather than a traditional product company. Its core portfolio centers on three flagship hardware projects: the 6S CubeSat (a 1U student-built satellite scheduled to launch in Q1 2028), RoverTech (a rover for the European Rover Challenge), and the SpaceTech division managing multiple engineering sub-projects. The SpaceTech division encompasses active projects including MEEVA (astronaut medical bodysuits), SPARC (VR-based space habitat testing), Ground Station, and STARGAZER. Spin-off projects include SunCubes (laser-based in-orbit power transmission), FAST (hypersonic TRINITY engine), and Lexicon (lunar ISRU filtering systems). Polispace also has historical projects such as ICE CREAM Mission, Experimental Payload V0, and SPARC.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SpaceTech: Technical department that proposes, develops and manages engineering projects in the association
- 6S CubeSat Project
- RoverTech
- SunCubes Project
- SPARC
- MEEVA
Products and services
- 6S CubeSat A 1U CubeSat that will be the first satellite entirely designed and built by students of Politecnico di Milano. Its primary objectives are testing perovskite solar cells and structural battery technology in space. The mission encompasses Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), Nominal Testing Phase (payload functionality and performance data downlink), Off-nominal Testing Phase (platform stress testing), and passivation with natural decay.
- RoverTech A rover project designed to participate in the European Rover Challenge (ERC), a competition gathering student teams from around the world with passions for space and robotics. The project coordinates Electronics, Structures, Software, and System teams to design and build a competing rover.
- SpaceTech Division Technical department of PoliSpace that proposes, develops, and manages engineering projects. SpaceTech encompasses multiple sub-projects covering space medicine, mission analysis, satellite applications, ground station operations, astronomical observation, and company-incubated engineering work.
- SunCubes Spin-off project focused on in-orbit power transmission using laser technology. The goal is to develop a payload able to transmit power between two spacecraft wirelessly, with a satellite network acting as power suppliers to customer satellites. Coverage spans four engineering domains: power source, transmitting system, receiving system, and protection system.
- SPARC (Space Architecture Project) A project using Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to test and study innovative space habitat concepts for moon and Mars settlements. SPARC enables earlier and parallel user testing to improve wellbeing in space environments through immersive simulation.
- MEEVA (Medical Equipment for ExtraVehicular Activities) A space medicine project developing innovative bodysuits for astronauts with integrated sensors for physiological monitoring (heart rate, range of motion, skin/core temperature), micro-controller-based stress estimation algorithms, real-time transmission to Mission Control, and a cooling system for EVA activities. Data is processed to estimate psychophysical stress levels during extra-vehicular activities.
- FAST (Fast AeroSpace Transportation) A hypersonic transportation project designing the TRINITY engine, a multi-mode propulsion system combining turbofan, ramjet, and rocket technologies. The TRINITY engine concept targets ultra-fast intercontinental transportation capability (Paris to Tokyo in under two hours).
- Ground Station A project within the SpaceTech division developing ground station capabilities for satellite communications and operations, supporting tracking and data downlink for PoliSpace satellite missions.
- STARGAZER A project within the SpaceTech division focused on astronomical observation and related space activities, providing members hands-on engagement with astronomy and observational space science.
- Lexicon Project A project improving filtering solutions for lunar ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization) machines, using a closed-cycle inert fluid coupled with cyclone filters and 3D-printed components for operation in lunar conditions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 350+ active members engaged in space engineering projects
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Polispace
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Polispace technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Polispace partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered key, core and supporting.
- Revolv SpacekeyNewSpace company with offices in Torino and Noordwijk. PoliSpace conducted feasibility study on heat dissipation system for SARA (Solar Array Rotary Actuator) satellite component. Collaboration started November 2022, developing mathematical models for system simulation.
- Politecnico di MilanocoreThe most valuable partner of PoliSpace. Provides expertise, facilities, and resources. Team members work in constant contact with PoliMi professors who advise students through their knowledge and experience. University has directly funded 6S CubeSat components including solar cells, onboard computers, ADCS sensors and actuators, antenna, EPS subsystem, and structural components.
- Cambridge University & Potsdam Research GroupkeyPayload providers supplying eight perovskite solar cell samples of different Perovskite types for the PESCA experiment on 6S CubeSat. This will be the first time these cells fly in space on a long-term mission.
- Volta Structural EnergykeyStructural battery provider for 6S CubeSat. An Innovative Start-Up created by former PoliMi students, providing the multi-layer structural battery panel to be tested for thermal and structural behaviour in space.
- AltairsupportingSoftware company partner providing tools for 6S CubeSat development (simulation and analysis software).
- EsatansupportingSoftware company partner providing tools for 6S CubeSat development (thermal analysis software).
- AnsyssupportingSoftware company partner providing tools for 6S CubeSat development (engineering simulation software).
- D-orbitsupportingSpace company partner for 6S CubeSat project.
- LeafspacesupportingSpace company partner for 6S CubeSat project.
- SidereussupportingPartner company involved in 6S CubeSat project and collaborated on Experimental Payload V0 project with PoliSpace.
- AsclepioskeyStudent association that creates analogue space missions and tests multiple projects. MEEVA project was born from collaboration between PoliSpace and Asclepios. Three successful collaborations completed, with MEEVA engaged in Asclepios IV mission.
- SunCubeskeySpin-off project born in PoliSpace, now an early-stage startup. SunCubes partnered with PoliSpace to acquire team members and broaden company horizons. Developing in-orbit power transmission using laser technology.
- OrbAstrosupportingProvided flat-sat all-in-one platform for design, development, testing, validation and operations of payloads. Developed in collaboration with ESA and UK Space Agency. Acquired with contribution of Politecnico di Milano.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Polispace competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- D-Orbit: Italian NewSpace company providing in-orbit transportation and satellite deployment services; an active Polispace partner for the 6S CubeSat project. Similar Italian geography and overlapping space-hardware focus, but operational at commercial scale.
- Leafspace: Italian ground-segment-as-a-service company that supports CubeSat missions including student-built satellites; active Polispace partner. Comparable in Italian geography and CubeSat-adjacent focus, commercial in business model.
- Sidereus Space Industries: Italian NewSpace startup developing launch vehicles; active Polispace partner on 6S CubeSat and Experimental Payload V0. Same national ecosystem and overlapping space-hardware focus, but commercial launch-provider model.
Direct peers
- Sapienza Aerospace Student Association: Student space association at Sapienza University of Rome (Polispace's peer Italian technical university), pursuing analogous CubeSat and rover projects. Same country, same university-driven model, same target demographic (engineering students seeking hands-on space experience).
- SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space): Global student-run space organization with thousands of members across university chapters, pursuing nearly identical objectives: hands-on space projects, networking with the space industry, and career pipeline development. Closest comparable peer in mission, structure, and constituency (engineering students passionate about space).
- Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC): International nonprofit connecting university students and young professionals in the space sector, organizing competitions (e.g., the Italian Space Startup Competition that SunCubes won) and advocacy programs. Operates in the same talent-pipeline niche as Polispace.
- Asclepios: EPFL-based student association organizing analogue space missions and testing multi-disciplinary projects such as spacesuits and rovers — structurally identical to Polispace and an active Polispace collaborator. Same member type (student volunteers), same project portfolio (analogue missions, space suits), same partner-leverage model.
Broad incumbents
- Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems: Established commercial manufacturer of CubeSats and small satellites serving both commercial and academic customers, including student and university teams. Sits in the same broad product category as Polispace's CubeSat work but at industrial, commercial scale.
- GomSpace: European CubeSat subsystem and platform supplier (subsystems, ground stations) widely used by university CubeSat programs including OrbAstro's flat-sat supplied to Polispace. Operates at commercial scale in the same product category as Polispace's project portfolio.
- AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics): Global professional society for aerospace with extensive student branches at major universities; overlaps with Polispace's industry-networking and educational role but operates as a broader professional community rather than a project-oriented maker organization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Polispace social profiles
Digital presencePolispace financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Polispace leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Polispace funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Polispace M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Polispace
What does Polispace do?
PoliSpace is the largest student space association at Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi), with 350+ active members developing hands-on space engineering projects. The association is currently designing a 1U CubeSat (6S) for Q1 2028 launch, a rover for the European Rover Challenge, and a portfolio of sub-projects in space medicine, space architecture, mission analysis, and telecommunications & operations. It bridges Italian academia and the space industry by providing students with project experience and connecting them with industry partners via sponsorships, internships, and job opportunities.
Is Polispace a public or private company?
Polispace is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Polispace founded?
Polispace was founded in 2020. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Polispace based?
Polispace is headquartered in Milano, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Polispace make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. University Funding & Support is the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships & Partnerships, competition Prize Money and donations.
Who are Polispace's main competitors?
Regional players on record are D-Orbit, Leafspace and Sidereus Space Industries. Direct peers are Sapienza Aerospace Student Association, SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space), Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) and Asclepios. Broad incumbents are Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, GomSpace and AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics).
Does Polispace have an API?
No public API is recorded for Polispace.
What industry is Polispace in?
Polispace's product category is Aerospace Engineering Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAE, Space & Astronomy Programs, with a secondary code of IMABACAF, Space Structures, Mechanisms & Thermal Control. Its SIC code is 3760.