11 September 2023
Under the Radar: Smaller engines for smaller satellites – Aliena on the need for smaller propulsion engines in satellites; On customer base including Imperial College London; Its engines hitching a ride on SpaceX; the Very Low Earth Orbit being the next area of contest
Laptops, computers and phones – they are among the items that have shrunk in size over time as consumers demand items that are smaller, more portable and perhaps cheaper.
But besides our daily consumer goods, did you know that even satellites are getting smaller too?
Not only are satellites getting smaller, they also need to fly closer to the Earth to collect better quality data to power industries such as maritime, aviation and even banking.
To do so, satellite companies now need smaller, low power and efficient, engines, and that’s exactly what our guest for today does.
Founded in 2018, Aliena is a spin-off from the Nanyang Technological University that creates propulsion engines to allow satellites to fly closer to the Earth.
Question is – why do satellites need to fly closer to the Earth in the first place and to what extent has this got to do with the cost of satellite deployment?
Meanwhile, the firm’s propulsion engines hitched a ride on a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket last year. Its engines were deployed this year as well in a separate space mission. But what can we expect from the firm next?
On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed the questions to Dr. Mark Lim, Co-founder and CEO, Aliena.

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Listen to his previous podcasts:

5 June 2023
Biz-How-To: How to break into an industry with high barriers of entry?
The sky’s no limit! That’s a phrase you commonly hear or say when spurring someone on. But that’s certainly so - both literally and figuratively for Mark Lim, Co-founder & CEO of Aliena - a home-grown space-tech company developing engines for satellites. Mark shares an insider perspective on how his firm is making waves in the space industry.
Presented by: Ryan Huang
This podcast is produced and edited by Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

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30 December 2019
The future of spacetech in Singapore
Aliena builds propulsion systems that allow satellites to perform those advanced maneuvers. And just recently, the company received a vote of confidence from Cap Vista, the strategic investment arm of Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency, which led Aliena's S$1.5 million pre-seed funding round. Mark Lim, CEO of Aliena shares about the space tech firm's plans for the funds received and what space tech future is like in Singapore.

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