A delegation from the Aeronautical Academy visited two industrial excellence centers, both Italian and international, in the field of space
A percentage of the attendees of the Aeronautical Academy of Pozzuoli, as part of the extracurricular activities carried out within the’ASTRA Training Unit (Academy Space Team for Research and Aerospace Studies), On the 18th and 19th of April, they carried out a series of visits to the companies Argotec e Thales Alenia Space Both are located in Turin, in order to increase knowledge in the field of space.
The first day was dedicated to Argotec, a space company founded in 2008, operating in an international context and mainly dealing with Earth Observation, Navigation system, Telecommunications e Science and Exploration. In particular, the company is focused on the production of small-sized satellites, validated for both the LEO (Low Earth Orbit, or low Earth orbit), which is suitable for deep space exploration. The visitors had the opportunity to study the platform up close. ArgoMoon who participated in the mission Artemis 1, for the validation of nanotechnology in the deep space, and the platform LICIACube, who took part in NASA's first planetary defense mission, serving as the sole witness to the historic impact between a probe and an asteroid (the impact occurred 14 million kilometers from Earth and the first Italian object to reach a target so remote in space).
Argotec is a partner of the Italian Government, with which it has signed a contract for the construction of 40 satellites that will be added to the constellation. IRIDE for the mission of Earth Observation for the purpose dual use, and the ESA (European Space Agency) in the context of the project Lumio, whose objective is to perfect the study of lunar meteoritic activity.
The centerpiece of this industrial reality is the Ground Control Station (GCS), from where the ArgoMoon and LICIACube missions were operated.
The second day was dedicated to the Turin plant Thales Alenia Space, specialized in Human planetary exploration program, LEO Exploration program e Space Transportation and Re-Entry Vehicles. The company, the result of a joint venture among the company Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), it is the main industrial partner of the future Cisluane station. Gateway that of the commercial orbital station Axiom. It is among the Leader world leader in the production of orbital infrastructure, with about 50% % of the pressurized modules of the International Space Station (ISS) and the construction of nodes 2 and 3 of the station.
Thales Alenia Space is leading 16 major studies in collaboration with ASI e NASA, both for the realization of the Lunar Gate-way With the Halo, I-Hab and Esprit modules for pressurized parts and the Human Landing System, to allow the’landing on the lunar surface, But also for the construction of a Multi-Purpose Habitat (MPH), a kind of Lunar refuge For the astronauts. The visit continued at the various pavilions of the factory where it was possible to see first-hand the preparations for the rover “EXOMARS”, for the interplanetary exploratory mission to the “red planet”, therefore at the mockup of a spatial module.
Before leaving the factory, the visitors visited the Altec center, where they had the opportunity to see the Ground Control Station (GCS), which is in constant contact with the astronauts of the International Space Station, and connected to the Command and Control centers of NASA and the ESA. Within the facility The plausible scenario of the “Martian” territory was also reproduced, with a faithful copy of the rover which will be sent to simulate its behavior and response to the commands that will be provided to it from Earth.
The’Air Force Academy It depends on the Command of the Schools of the Italian Air Force/3rd Air Region; it is a military institute of higher education of a university nature, which has the task of providing for the recruitment and training of young people who aspire to become Officers of the Italian Air Force. By attending the Regular Courses of the Academy, it is possible to become Sublieutenants in Regular Service with the Air Force, in the Normal Navigation Role (pilots) and in the Normal Role of Weapons, of the Air Corps, of the Corps of Commissariat Aeronautico and of the Air Medical Corps. Furthermore, the institute also offers Courses for Officer Candidate Pilots and Complementary and Fixed-Term Navigator Pilots; and Sublieutenants by direct appointment (both in the Normal Role and in the Special Role); finally, in the Study Plan of the Academy, there are courses with a specialized aeronautical connotation, for foreign personnel and for other Armed Forces.
ASTRA (“Academy Space Team for Research and Aerospace studies”) is one of the four training units active at this institute in order to deepen knowledge and skills related to the aerospace domain. This is done through extracurricular activities (visits, conferences, participation in challenge, etc.), which complement the traditional educational streams, thanks to a network of stakeholders belonging to university, industry and research organizations.
