Since the launch of Xatcobeo on 13 February 2012, Alén Space has not stopped growing, expanding both its team and its catalogue with new solutions and products, opening the way in space to all those companies that want to take their business further and venture into the New Space, where the Galician company handles like fish in water. Over the years, they have worked with more than 30 different companies and have commercial agreements with a total of 18 countries from all corners of the world.

From what began as a "training experiment" with its roots in the University of Vigo and the support of the Xunta de Galicia's Ignicia programme, through a small team of 10 partners, four of whom initially joined the company, to the 40 or so people that make up the company today, Alén Space has just been awarded one of the Galicia Innovation and Design Awards, specifically in the category of Innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises, which recognises the work of people and companies that are benchmarks for economic and social progress in Galicia through innovation and design.

Alén Space develops and manufactures small satellites that allow its customers to access data or communications until recently only available to space agencies, research institutes and public bodies. These small, cheap and fast systems are now also accessible to the private sector thanks to costs that can be up to 100 times lower than those of conventional satellites.

Guillermo Lamelas, CEO of Alén Space, recalls how it all started back in 2008: "Satellites were seen as a training opportunity, but not as a technology capable of enabling real business solutions, for commercial purposes or even reliable for use by public institutions. Today, they are on everyone's lips.

"In Galicia we are quite unique"

Although especially with regard to the tasks of its CEO, day-to-day life at Alén Space is probably not very different from that of other companies, it is the technical profiles that work there that make the difference, in most cases trained internally and previously at the University of Vigo. "We are about 40 people who are dedicated to space and that is probably the most distinctive thing. In Galicia we are quite unique".

It goes without saying that in a field like aerospace, which is in continuous development, research is fundamental, "everything is the result of R&D". At Alén Space they are continually prospecting the market and keeping abreast of market needs in order to improve their portfolio and keep it competitive. Everything they have advanced over the years would be unthinkable without research, in some cases the technology with which they took their first steps 15 years ago has evolved spectacularly and they have carried out developments from scratch in others to offer increasingly powerful and versatile solutions.

Galician DNA in the Atlantic Constellation

At Alén Space they do not stop, in fact, they are one of the four spanish companies that will participate in the development of the eight satellites that will make up the future Atlantic Constellation. Guillermo assures that "a lot of things are moving at European level and the Atlantic Constellation is one of them, an important part is moving from Spain exclusively and we must be there competing with an exceptional offer". Being part of the team is an unbeatable opportunity to value all the experience and technology of this innovative Galician company that has undoubtedly earned a privileged position in the Spanish New Space ecosystem.