Amidst renewed international interest in the space sector, Italy – already home to human and technological excellence in this field – is at the forefront of promoting civil-military collaboration initiatives and public-private partnerships, aimed at ensuring tangible benefits in terms of both the development and enhancement of operational capabilities and defence in the space sector, and concrete social, scientific, economic, and industrial returns to the country.
For Italy, Ax-3 represented the enabling thread within a strategic vision that synergistically links, under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (with delegation to Space), the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, the Air Force and the Italian Space Agency. Furthermore, it was a privileged opportunity to continue promoting commitment towards safe and effective access to Space.
Mission Name and National Patch
In Italy, the Ax-3 mission is named Voluntas: Latin was chosen to best represent a civilisation that, through evolution, has sought to overcome its own boundaries, a typical activity of exploration, be it terrestrial or space-based. Willpower as an aspiration, a purpose: key concepts of the desire to go beyond. This is the same concept on which the Italian Air Force is based, which has always considered the future as a natural extension of the present and space as a natural projection of its own operational environment.
In its extended meaning, volition also calls to mind the component of “research,” which manifests in the undertaking of activities aimed at improving the Country System through collaboration for technological, operational, and scientific, and therefore social, development.
The patch includes the emblem of the Italian Republic, the tricolour, the new pictogram of the Italian Air Force and a reference to the launch of the San Marco-1 satellite, the sixtieth anniversary of which will be celebrated in 2024. Between space and earth, finally, the constellations represent the sure guides used over time, while the ISS is the element that it is intended to reach, thus connecting aeronautical (atmospheric) flight with space (extra-atmospheric) flight.
Experiments coordinated by the Italian Air Force
The Italian Air Force has focused on research activities relating to secure access to space and the physiological implications of remaining in orbit.
The Italian Air Force has carried out experimentation activities, for the first time from space, on the ISOC (Italian Space Operations Centre) software system, the heart of its Space Situational Awareness (SSA) capability.
Developed by the Italian Air Force, the ISOC system provides an updated catalogue of space objects and innovative algorithms for space-related events, such as collisions.
The astronauts on board the ISS have replicated some analyses normally carried out by the SSA Centre, one of the European space operations centres at the forefront of monitoring space objects re-entering the atmosphere and which constantly monitors possible collision events between active orbiting artificial objects (including the ISS) and space debris.
This project is an experiment proof-of-concept (experimental technology demonstrator) aimed at showing how astronauts could achieve near real-time conjunction assessment with limited support from ground segments or even autonomously. Operators will be able to monitor hazardous approaches and estimate orbital manoeuvres.
ISOC Card (.pdf)
SFS2, designed and manufactured by Spacewear, is the new interactive spacesuit tested aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The spacesuit has successfully passed the qualification process for spaceflight according to the most stringent international standards.
Crafted from over two hundred pieces and using a brand-new generation of ultralight, breathable, flame-retardant, and thermoregulating fabric, the suit detects numerous medical data from the astronaut by integrating a high-precision device that does not need to be in close contact with the body.
The integrated device on the SFS2 has been approved by NASA and the international board for the ISS and was enabled to detect medical data in Mission AX-3, allowing the SFS2 suit to monitor the astronaut.
The medical data collected by Spacewear on board, when shared, are also central to the research of players who participate in data collection only from the ground.
The device integrated by Spacewear is manufactured through close collaboration with Advanced Processing, whose device possesses the necessary functionalities and certifications for use on the ISS.
The research results of SFS2 may also have useful and innovative impacts for use on Earth.
In collaboration with the Italian Air Force and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the Italian company REA has conducted an in-orbit test of EMSi (Electrical Muscle Simulation) – an intra-vehicular suit capable of monitoring and measuring astronaut movements.
The suit is made from an innovative material with antibacterial properties and is equipped with sensors to collect data on muscle activity in the arms, legs, and torso during daily operations. It also integrates compression properties to ensure proper redistribution of body fluids.
The project tested the suit during the Ax-3 mission, opening the door to future space missions, with the aim of improving the health and well-being of astronauts.
Led by the Air Force, this first-of-its-kind study involved the detection of ultrasound and blood flow parameters in the arteries of crew members by the Aeronautical and Space Medicine Department personnel, in parallel with the collection of blood samples related to the so-called “endothelial function”.
On this occasion, the International Space Station (ISS) has been transformed into a perfect orbiting scientific laboratory: the detections will not only be carried out in the pre- and post-orbital flight phases.
An important scientific study has added a new layer of knowledge on the interaction between prolonged space exposure, microgravity, and the human body for a better understanding of the physiology of endothelial dysfunction as a preclinical indicator of future cardiovascular diseases and as an indicator of arterial health during long-duration space missions.
Among the experiments destined for the ISS, Dallara has seized the opportunity to test its own textile technologies in microgravity environments to create innovative solutions for the commercial spaceflight sector.
Dallara is proud to have been part of this great project, both for exploring the intersection between cutting-edge technology and the unlimited potential of aerospace, and for having taken this opportunity to develop technologies for technological advancement.
This project helped to monitor the health status of the Astronaut before, during, and after the Ax-3 Space Mission.
The GVM Assistance Telemedicine Service (a company of the GVM Care and Research Group) can monitor the astronauts' health status and cardiovascular situation in real-time, through the detection of bioparameters, in the seven days before launch and the seven days after returning from the Mission, and conduct video consultations in microgravity conditions.
Medical devices, dedicated and integrated with the GVM Assistance Telemedicine platform, enabled the detection of the necessary bioparameters to monitor the astronaut's health. The astronaut had the GVM Assistance Space – Health app available to connect with the service and the GVM Assistance Medical Operations Centre.
The assessment of the trend of biological parameters at various times before and after the on-orbit Mission has made it possible to verify certain effects of microgravity conditions on the human organism, with the aim of identifying methods to reduce them.
Moreover, an advanced Telemedicine Platform has been tested as a tool for health monitoring of individuals on a space mission.
The experiment conducted by Mental Economy, an innovative startup specialising in mental training, aimed to measure Neural Efficiency.
The activity was carried out in collaboration with the Air Force Staff.
Data collected from astronauts before and after their flights, through specific tests that monitored parameters related to cerebral efficiency, have enabled researchers to understand if, and how, the microgravity environment can influence cognitive functions.
The results of this study will contribute to the development of mental training programmes and monitoring systems specific to the unique microgravity environment and to future space missions.
Experiments coordinated by the Italian Space Agency
For the Ax-3 mission, ASI (Italian Space Agency) has conducted four scientific experiments on the ISS. Some of these represent the development and enhancement of experiments already on board the Station, while others will be conducted on Earth using biological samples taken from astronauts before and after the flight:
Beta-amyloid aggregation and Prometheus II contribute to the advancement of knowledge on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, which are of fundamental importance for the development of new therapies for age-related pathologies on Earth.
In particular, Beta-Amyloid Aggregation is focused on studying the mechanisms underlying the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
LIDAL addresses a critical aspect of human space exploration, which is exposure to the space radiation environment, harmful to humans and materials.
LIDAL is an innovative cosmic radiation detection system that will, for the first time, allow astronauts to obtain a real-time assessment of the risk linked to cosmic radiation exposure and space weather, during their stay on the International Space Station.
ORION is designed to study female fertility, specifically ovarian function in microgravity. The scientific information obtained will help improve the effectiveness of fertility treatments on Earth.
Prometheus II focuses on the study of potential countermeasures for oxidative stress induced by the space environment on the nervous system.
AstRNAuts aims to identify molecular signatures that can be used by astronauts for autonomous monitoring of their health status during spaceflight.
The project is of great scientific interest because it could lead to the development of point-of-care devices, also usable on Earth, for the non-invasive diagnosis and prognosis of diseases.
NUT is studying the alteration of specific molecular markers induced by stress from short-term space missions and will compare it with the effects observed on submarine missions.
The comparison of the different data obtained will allow us to discriminate the effects induced by microgravity and cosmic rays from those caused by confinement, isolation, and psychophysical stress.
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