Singapore spacetech firm Aliena raises $1.1m from Cap Vista, 500 Startups, others

Singapore-based Aliena, which specializes in developing and manufacturing plasma-thruster systems for the small satellite market, has raised S$1.5 million (US$1.1 million) in an investment round led by Cap Vista, the strategic venture investment arm of Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency.

US-based VC firm 500 Startups and Paspalis Innovation and Investment Fund, through Darwin Innovation Hub, also participated in the funding round, Aliena co-founder and CEO Mark Lim told Tech in Asia.

Aliena co-founder and CEO Mark Lim / Photo credit: Singapore Space and Technology Association

Since being founded in 2018, the company has aimed to tackle the lack of propulsion systems in the market, which can shorten the lifespan and limits the mission capabilities of small satellites.

The company’s propulsion systems “will allow for a new generation of miniaturized satellites to perform sophisticated maneuvers, which were previously technically unfeasible due to technical constraints,” Lim said during a speech delivered at the Australian High Commission.

With the new funds, Aliena looks to expand its team and commission an integrated space simulation environment and electric jet propulsion test facility in Singapore. The company also plans to use part of the investment to aid the in-orbit tech demonstration of its products in space and expand its product offering.

Aliena will also continue to work closely with Darwin Innovation Hub on empowering platforms and providing space for them to operate from.

According to Lim, who is also a lead scientist at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, the space ecosystem in the city-state is “excited in exploring and establishing key partnerships with the Northern Territory,” as they share a common goal of driving growth in the space industry.

“This aims to provide turnkey solutions and consolidation of contributing partners from various domains including launch service providers, platform and payload developers, ground station operators, and downstream application engineers accordingly,” said Lim. New players will also be able to quickly gain ground, leveraging the existing infrastructure, expertise, and mechanisms available in both Singapore and Northern Australia, he added.