The students of the Drago VI Course successfully complete the launch of a stratospheric aerostatic balloon designed during the Space Systems Laboratory
The launch of a Satellite KitSat of the Arctic Astronautics on behalf of the Students of Course Drago VI of the’Air Force Academy from Pozzuoli. The launch of the satellite, attached to a stratospheric aerostatic balloon with the aim of taking a photo of the curvature of the Earth from over 25 km away, took place on Friday, May 31st, at the “Serg. Magg. C.Q.S. Marco Venezia” Sports Field of the Academy, and is the final act of the “Laboratory of Space Systems”followed by the Apprentice Pilots and the Weapons Role of the Dragon VI.
The Laboratory, introduced this year within the undergraduate course GESAD (Management of Aerospace Systems for Defense), It aims to provide the basic knowledge of Satellite technology and the understanding of the basic concepts of space operations, in line with the Armed Forces’ goal of enhancing space dominance. The theoretical part, based on the conduct of face-to-face lessons, is linked to the practical aspects of design and assembly, leading to the launch of the detection system designed during the course, thus creating a real scientific experiment.
The Course, designed by the Aeronautical Academy for its attendees, meets the requirements of STEM-based training, with the goal of preparing students for the challenges of the future by stimulating learning through the “learning by doing“. A training path that is also an expression of the results of the activities carried out over the years within the Training Units, thanks to which the theoretical and practical contents of this teaching have been scaled up.
The launch, despite the adverse weather conditions, was carried out successfully. At 09:30 on Friday, the balloon was released into the atmosphere in the presence of Commander of the Air Force Academy, Air Division General Luigi Casali, of a representation of the permanent collection and of some teachers of the’Federico II University of Naples. Among them, the Professor Maria Daniela Graziano, responsible for the “Laboratory of Space Systems”.
During the first phase of the Course, the Students learned the basic concepts about the functioning of a satellite, its subsystems, and how a mission is planned and executed. Space mission, From the knowledge of orbital realities to the functioning of communications in the absence of usual atmospheric conditions: a study that allowed him to broaden his horizons towards knowledge far removed from everyday life.
In the practical phase, the participants engaged in a laboratory activity, namely the design of the satellite launch system, accompanied by a box containing a camera useful for photographing the Earth’s curvature at 25 km, and a symbol of the’Air Force Academy, That is, the patch of Dragon Course VI, a warning to future generations of courses to dare more and more.
Mission description:
The goal of the launch: reaching a quota of 25 km through the use of a stratospheric aerostatic balloon. The satellite, equipped with an optical camera, an enclosure for environmental sensors and an auxiliary optical support for observations and measurements throughout the flight period, has successfully completed the mission: observing the curvature of the horizon using a CubeSat 1U. In the early afternoon of Friday, May 31st, the team managed to recover the satellite and the camera at Lacedonia, a municipality in the province of Avellino, with subsequent analysis of the entire data. telemetry.
The implementation of the project also represented a challenge in identifying and containing the risks associated with the launch, the intense coordination activities with civil and military authorities in the ATM domain (Air Traffic Management) and the continuous study, through predictive mathematical models, of the ascent and descent trajectories of the aircraft.
This undertaking represents a starting point for the acquisition of skills and knowledge that will prove fundamental in the future projects that the Italian Air Force is developing in order to excel in the new domains.
The’Air Force Academy It depends Air Force Schools Command / 3rd Air Region. It is a university-level military institute of higher education responsible for recruiting and training young people who aspire to become officers in the Air Force. By attending the Academy’s regular courses, students can become Second Lieutenants in the Permanent Active Service of the Air Force, in the standard Flying Branch (pilots) and in the standard branches of the Air Force, the Air Force Engineering Corps, the Air Force Quartermaster Corps and the Air Force Medical Corps. The Institute also runs courses for Officer Cadets (Reserve and Fixed-Term Pilots and Navigators) and directly appointed Second Lieutenants (in both the Regular and Special Branches); finally, the Academy’s curriculum includes courses with a specialised aeronautical focus, designed for foreign personnel and members of other armed forces.
