SINGAPORE, 9 APRIL 2024 – Aliena, the only Southeast Asian satellite engine company based in Singapore, is known for its cutting-edge electric propulsion systems and extends the operational life span and mission capabilities of satellites in low-Earth orbit.
They received a US$5.6 million boost for its Series A financing round led by Wavemaker Partners, with participation from local and international institutional investors such as SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore; Paspalis, a leading Australian private investment firm; Cap Vista, the strategic investment arm of Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA); and NTUitive, the innovation and enterprise company from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore).
With this, Aliena cumulatively received over US$9.3 million in previous rounds and grants from other entities including 500 Global and Enterprise Singapore. The funds will be used to upgrade and relocate Aliena’s Jet Propulsion Test Facility (JPTF) to a 8,020 sq ft facility to boost engine production and test capabilities to optimize resources in expediting lead times for its growing international customer base.
Aliena’s engines today are fundamentally critical in the operations of small satellites in constellations, and will unlock new capabilities for these platforms to operate in domains that were previously inaccessible such as very-low-Earth-orbits (VLEO).
“Instead of trying to scale down thrusters built for larger satellites, Aliena had the bold ambition of building thrusters from scratch for small satellite use cases. Aliena’s electric propulsion system aims to fill the market gap and solve the problem of mobility in outer space for small satellites, democratizing access to innovative solutions for the space-tech community. Their systems, energy efficiency, and performance are a true reflection of Aliena’s first principles thinking. We’re privileged to work with Enterprise Singapore and other partners in helping another deep-tech local company scale and compete globally,” said Paul Santos, Managing Partner at Wavemaker Partners.
The space tech ecosystem is currently valued at US$500 billion, and growing at an exponential rate. It is projected to reach US$1 trillion by the year 2040. As the commercial, governmental, and scientific demand for innovation increases, the supply chain and workforce begin to feel the pressure of a rising space economy. Similar to the systems found onboard satellites from SpaceX’s Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon’s Kuiper constellation, Aliena develops and provides the most trusted electric propulsion systems: Hall-effect thrusters for its customers. In many instances, access to these systems, especially for small satellites, have faced significant challenges due to disrupted supply chains and vertical integration of larger conglomerates and corporations.
In contrast, through its innovative solutions, Aliena democratizes access to these systems for the small satellite community which represents 95% of satellites launched today. These are efficient even at low power and in compact form factors (especially significant where power and volume comes at a premium on small satellites), offering a complete turn-key solution that is modular and integrates ease of deployment through a plug-and-play interface. This also allows for Aliena’s customers to rapidly integrate their systems according to their needs and fast-tracking their pathways to operations in space.
Since its incorporation in 2018, the company has sold its engines and components to partners and customers globally and deployed two systems in space–the most recent being STRIDER in 2023. Aliena’s engines will serve satellite operators that have applications ranging from telecommunications, Earth observation, and deep-space science missions. Aliena is also leading the race towards very-low-Earth-orbits (VLEO). A custom-built version of Aliena’s off-the-shelf MUSIC Hall thruster system will be provided for Singapore’s flagship ELITE remote sensing satellite to be launched and operated at VLEO in 2025.
Describing traction and growth over the last few years since incorporation, Dr Mark Lim, co-founder and CEO of Aliena, said, “Aliena has spent the last half a decade on R&D and system development. The team’s hard work has paid off and is evidenced by our systems deployed in space and an increase in customers from Asia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union amongst others, that rely on our systems for their campaigns and missions. Aliena intends to utilize the proceeds of this financing round to supercharge our growth plans globally by expanding the team, and to commit to providing reliable and robust systems that can meet the needs of even the most challenging of operations in space as we have done so today.”
On top of its current product line, Aliena’s work on innovative water-fueled satellite engines together with renowned global partners from the UK has also been featured by Aerospace America in its prestigious Year in Review (2023). Aliena’s systems are a result of intensive research and development within the company to build reputable systems and to push the boundaries for disruptive solutions for the most demanding missions.
Last month, Aliena’s commercial line of propulsion systems were featured in NASA’s latest State-of-the-Art of Small Spacecraft Technology Report. In this report, Aliena’s flagship product – MUSIC engine – was documented in the Hall-effect thruster segment alongside notable companies worldwide. With the continued proliferation of missions at VLEO, LEO, and beyond for both commercial and strategic missions, Aliena sees Hall thrusters as a consistently viable solution and widely deployed system in space for multi-mission flexibility.
“As a testament to the unique capabilities that Aliena and our technologies bring to the table, we have seen an increase in orders and queries internationally for our off-the-shelf systems, bespoke engines, and components,” said Dr George-Cristian Potrivitu, cofounder and CTO of Aliena. “Our efforts in providing solutions ranging from next-generation missions to capitalize on trends at VLEO, to deep space missions, LEO constellations and even supporting R&D efforts at eminent research institutions globally, is indicative of how Aliena’s systems are application agnostic and ideal for deployment across a spectrum of mission profiles.”
Through its cutting-edge technology, Aliena not only enhances satellite operations but also contributes to a more sustainable and interconnected world. Aliena’s systems play a pivotal role in revolutionizing satellite operations and expanding access to telecommunications and high resolution data. These data provide invaluable insights that inform decisions crucial for sustainability initiatives–aiding in mitigation of climate change, weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, resource management, and disaster response. By empowering telecommunication satellite constellations to establish their orbits effectively, Aliena ensures that even the most remote regions have access to communication networks and commercially available high resolution data.
Aliena’s co-founders, Dr Mark Lim and Dr George-Cristian Potrivitu, believe that the era of next-generation commercial satellite constellations has begun. Aliena is poised to provide for their mobility needs and become an industry standard for satellite propulsion. They expect Aliena’s new Advanced Jet Propulsion Test Facility (AJPTF) to be operational by the end of 2024.
About Aliena
Aliena Pte Ltd is a Singapore-based space propulsion provider that aims to bring space closer to home for satellite operators and terrestrial businesses. Their novel propulsion systems aim to equip disruptive next-generation satellites with advanced maneuvering capabilities that can empower satellite operations of tomorrow. A technology spin-off from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Aliena currently operates out of a privately-owned jet propulsion test facility that gives the R&D and manufacturing environment to provide their systems to the most demanding of customers internationally.
For more information visit https://www.aliena.sg/
Contact: ask@aliena.sg
Lead photo: Aliena cofounders – Dr George-Cristian Potrivitu (left) and Dr Mark Lim
