Seven PocketQubes Launch on Transporter-12: POQUITO 1P System Architecture and Skylink-1/2 IoT Pair
Alba Flight 8 on SpaceX Transporter-12 deployed seven PocketQubes from six countries, including Luxembourg’s POQUITO, Poland’s HYPE, and Portugal’s PROMETHEUS-1.
On 14 January 2025, seven PocketQubes were injected into Sun-synchronous orbit aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-12 (Alba Flight 8).
University of Luxembourg’s 1P POQUITO (185 g) was designed to test an onboard visible-light optical link to a hosted femtosatellite (ChipSat) PCB payload and internal PCB-trace magnetorquer coils for attitude damping (system architecture published by Franzese, Kanavouras, Bruce Rosete, Gouvalas, Sajjad, Alandihallaj, Herasimenka, and Hein in CEAS Space Journal, 2025).
IoT operator Hello Space expanded its fleet with two 3P LoRaWAN spacecraft (Skylink-1 and Skylink-2), while student teams at AGH University of Krakow (HYPE, NORAD 62687) and the University of Minho / IST / CMU (PROMETHEUS-1) achieved the first national PocketQube milestones for Poland and Portugal alongside Spain’s HADES-R (NORAD 62690) and Hydra-T (NORAD 62692).
Published Proceedings, Open-Access Papers & Primary Dossiers
CELESTRAK SATCAT & TELEMETRY RECORD
Verified Spacecraft Key Facts & Orbital Dossier
| Spacecraft | Class | Operator / Country | Launch & Vehicle | NORAD / COSPAR | Orbit & RF Downlink | Catalog Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
POQUITO | 1P | Univ. of Luxembourg (SnT) LU | Falcon 9 (Transporter-12) · D-Orbit ION / AlbaPod | Unassigned | UHF | Unverified |
HYPE | 1P | AGH Univ. of Krakow (SatLab AGH) PL | Falcon 9 (Transporter-12) · D-Orbit ION / AlbaPod | NORAD 62687 2025-009CG | UHF | Decayed |
PROMETHEUS-1 | 1P | Univ. do Minho / IST / CMU PT | Falcon 9 (Transporter-12) · D-Orbit ION / AlbaPod | Unassigned | UHF | Unverified |
Skylink-1 | 3P | Hello Space TR | Falcon 9 (Transporter-12) · D-Orbit ION / AlbaPod | Unassigned | UHF / S | Unverified |
Skylink-2 | 3P | Hello Space TR | Falcon 9 (Transporter-12) · D-Orbit ION / AlbaPod | Unassigned | UHF / S | Unverified |
HADES-R | 1.5P | AMSAT-EA / Hydra Space ES | Falcon 9 (Transporter-12) · D-Orbit ION / AlbaPod | NORAD 62690 2025-009CK | 436.888 MHz (VHF/UHF) | Decayed |
Hydra-T | 1.5P | Hydra Space Systems ES | Falcon 9 (Transporter-12) · D-Orbit ION / AlbaPod | NORAD 62692 2025-009CM | UHF | Decayed |
Catalogued Mission Summaries & Flight Notes
- POQUITO (1P, 2025):
- 185 g 1P PocketQube designed by the University of Luxembourg (SnT) to host a 5 × 5 cm ChipSat payload and test a visible-light optical intra-satellite link, with magnetorquers printed in inner PCB layers. Launched on SpaceX Transporter-12 (14 Jan 2025) aboard D-Orbit ION; specific NORAD catalog object correlation and in-orbit reception status are not yet verified in CelesTrak SATCAT.
- HYPE (1P, 2025):
- Poland’s first PocketQube (1P), built by students at AGH University of Krakow; carries a miniature NIR spectrometer and an outward-facing camera aimed at a deployable OLED display.
- PROMETHEUS-1 (1P, 2025):
- Portugal’s first PocketQube (1P), developed by the University of Minho, Instituto Superior Técnico and Carnegie Mellon University as an open-architecture educational platform. Deployed on Transporter-12; specific NORAD catalog object correlation unverified.
- Skylink-1 (3P, 2025):
- 3P commercial LoRaWAN / direct-to-satellite IoT spacecraft operated by Turkish startup Hello Space as part of its operational constellation expansion. Deployed on Transporter-12; specific NORAD catalog object correlation unverified.
- Skylink-2 (3P, 2025):
- Twin 3P commercial LoRaWAN IoT PocketQube of Hello Space deployed alongside Skylink-1 on Transporter-12. Deployed on Transporter-12; specific NORAD catalog object correlation unverified.
- HADES-R (1.5P, 2025):
- 1.5P amateur radio V/U FM voice and digital repeater built by Hydra Space Systems and operated by AMSAT-EA, carrying a graphene thermal radiation experiment.
- Hydra-T (1.5P, 2025):
- 1.5P narrowband IoT communications demonstrator developed by Madrid-based Hydra Space Systems.