The “Global Sentinel 2025”, the most important international exercise organised by Space Command (USSPACECOM) on the subject Space Situational Awareness (SSA), which saw the Italian Air Force participate for the seventh consecutive edition.
29 Allied and Partner nations participated in the activity, organised into various Regional Space Operations Centre (RSpOC), with NATO Space Operations Centre, in its first participation. Specifically, a complex simulated exercise scenario in a space environment was managed on the theme of Space safety e security, characterised by critical events including launches, in-orbit collisions, break-ups, atmospheric re-entries, orbital manoeuvres, satellite close approaches and other space threats. Italy was part of the Euro-Mediterranean cell along with Greece, Israel and Spain.
The Armed Force has confirmed its participation with personnel from the Centre Space Situational Awareness (CSSA) of the Aerospace Operations Command (COA) of Poggio Renatico (FE), including the newly qualified operators Space Guardian, who have held positions useful for simulating the dynamics present in the space environment and testing subsequent interactions with other national entities. During the exercise, furthermore, the Air Force also participated in Multinational Space Coordination Cell (MSC), responsible for coordinating and planning activities between RSpOC. The Italian delegation was also completed by an Officer from the Space Operations Command (COS) of COVI, acting as an observer for joint operational aspects, and by an Engineer from the company Leonardo Spa, for technical support for Software ISOC, developed in collaboration with the Aerospace Engineering Group (GIAS) of the Flight Experimental Department (RSV) at Pratica di Mare.
Co-operation in the Global Sentinel initiative aims to consolidate shared space security capabilities and strengthen interoperability between Allied and Partner countries in the SSA sector, a key factor for the success of joint and combined operations. The exercise presented an extraordinary opportunity for the Air Force to enhance its skills and strengthen its role in SSA internationally, but also an opportunity to broaden interactions with the space community, with a profitable return for Italy in terms of experience and future capacity developments.
The capacity to SSA expressed by the COA-CSSA of the Italian Air Force integrates the functions of Space Surveillance & Tracking (SST), Space Weather (SWx) and Information Support (SI), providing services (Re-entry, Fragmentation e Conjunction Analysisand products for a wide range of national and international users, such as Covi's Space Operations Command (COS), NATO, and Partnership of the European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking (EU-SST).
