The Italian name of the Ax-3 mission, Voluntas, which in early 2024 will take Colonel Walter Villadei to the International Space Station, has also been revealed
Last week, which saw the celebration – on 16 December – of National Space Day, the Italian Air Force has been engaged in events on the subject, with a focus on participation in the mission Axiom Space's Ax-3.
The two-day event (13 and 14 December) entitled was held at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC, United States, Italian Space Days at the Embassy, which was attended by Air Squadron General Antonio Conserva, Logistics Commander of the Italian Air Force, who – speaking at the launch event of the Italian Food in Space project – recalled: “The Italian Air Force has been committed to human spaceflight for years, and the agreement entered into in 2018 with Axiom Space was certainly in keeping with this tradition. One of the Air Force's institutional duties is to guarantee the protection of national airspace, and unfortunately, alongside the opportunities offered by the space economy, there are also security issues concerning space traffic, which has become increasingly densely populated. In this context, with the Ax-3 mission, Colonel Villadei will carry out a series of activities on the International Space Station (ISS) in order to improve our capability for the surveillance of orbiting space objects. We are very pleased that there is a synergy with the National System – continued Gen. Conserva –, with institutions, research centres, industries, and we are sure that participation in the Ax-3 mission will allow us to fully seize the opportunities offered by the future developments of the sector. We are honoured that Italy is once again in space thanks also to the Italian Air Force, which always paves the way towards the future”The General also took the opportunity to present the Italian name and logo for the mission:“Voluntas, which aims to describe the iron will of Italy, Defence and the Italian Air Force to be in Space, as well as the aspiration of Colonel Villadei, who trained to the highest standard to complete this important mission”.
Colonel Walter Villadei himself took part in the press conference, in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF) Francesco Lollobrigida, and thanking all the colleagues and professionals who are working daily on the mission, he pointed out that “astronauts are part of a much broader team. If an astronaut goes into flight it is because there is a country with a vision and a history, and this is perhaps the very first mission that Italy is undertaking in the new space economy, bringing together the Ministry of Defence, MIMIT (Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy), MASAF, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and national industry. All of this has been made possible thanks to the history and relationships we have built with NASA and thanks to Axiom Space and the vision that the United States are developing. We will take experiments into orbit originating from the Italian Air Force, ASI and industry, and we will continue to conduct experimentation even upon our return from the mission, demonstrating the opportunities that this type of mission can offer”.
Instead, on the 13th of December, the “Ax-3 Mission Overview Press Conference”, in which Colonel Valerio Anastasi, General Space Office of the Italian Air Force Staff, analysed the state of readiness of the mission aspects linked to Italy's participation and emphasised that this will also be an opportunity – through live links from the ISS – to bring high school and university students, both civilian and military, even closer to the so-called STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine). A video call from Space will also be addressed to the young patients of a paediatrics ward, in the hope that, by asking their questions to the astronaut in orbit, they may spend some peaceful moments and dream of a future beyond illness.
In a meeting with Colonel Villadei on the progress of mission preparations, the Secretary of Defence Guido Crosetto he stated:”Italy, with Axiom Space's Ax-3 mission, will write another page of history in space: Colonel Villadei, on board the International Space Station, will represent the Defence and all Italians“.
Also last week, the Italian Air Force was part of the national delegation that participated for the first time in Combined Space Operation (CSpO) Initiative Principals Board, following the official announcement by the Ministry of Defence that Italy has joined this important international forum which, since 2020, has brought together Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States to discuss issues relating to space and the dangers and opportunities connected to it.
