SPAZIO 2050 N. 7 - Connected Europe - English edition

Connected Europe

EU invests in safe, resilient and sustainable communications

SUMM A RY

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Space Europe - what the future holds  by Enrica Battifoglia

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Iris,² for an interconnected, resilient and inclusive Europe  by Manuela Proietti

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EuroQci: Quantum Telecommunication for Europe  by Luca Mingotti Landriani

14 Quantum technologies: Recent patent developments in the space sector by Lucia Bonventre, Alberto Caponi and Tanya Scalia

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AthenaFidus, an Italian-French Telecommunications System by Francesca Pieralice

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Europe’s Galileo between present and future by Fulvia Croci

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Galileo 2nd Generation - What’s new about the constellation  by Fulvia Croci

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Robustness and accuracy - That's what ESA wants from space by Giuseppe Nucera

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Spaceexe, Connecting performance capacity and reliability by Silvia Ciccarelli

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From Guglielmo Marconi to AI  by Mario Musmeci

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Finding your way in the world: getting on the road with extra-European navigation systems  by Valeria Guarneri

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A super antenna for Deep Space in Sardinia by Giuseppe Nucera

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LuGRE - lunar connection tests by Giulia Bonelli

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Space: an increasingly strategic priority  by the Editorial Staf

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Satellite Internet - Starlink and its new competitors by Barbara Ranghelli

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Leonardo and Telespazio recognize innovation  by Ivana Giannone

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5G connectivity leads the way to the next leap forward in terrestrial and satellite communications by Giuseppina Pulcrano

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From 5G to  6G, between augmented reality and AI  by Giulia Bonelli

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Gruppo Hera: AI and cosmic rays to protect the Blue Gold by the Editorial Staf

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The economic development of space: a rapidly evolving industry by Giuseppina Pulcrano

by

Edited by ASI Multimedia Unit

Responsabile Giuseppina Pulcrano

Editor-in-chief  Gianni Cipriani

Editorial coordination Manuela Proietti, ASI Multimedia Unit

Graphic project Paola Gaviraghi

We wish to thank our ASI colleagues Alberto Tuozzi, Head of the European Union Relations Department, Giancarlo Varacalli, Head of the Telecommunications and Navigation Department,  Mauro Cardone and Daniele Dequal

Credits: defenceindustry-space. ec.europa.eu

Space Europewhat the future holds

Space is undoubtedly going through a period of profound change. The war in Ukraine has brought to an end many cooperation activities between the Western countries and Russia but many projects with other partners have started. In a scenario where private companies have entered the sector, the New Space Economy is a fact and the Lunar Economy is soon to come, Space has become the next frontier of economic development. Opportunities that were unthinkable just a few years ago have triggered a race against time in fields such as quantum technologies-based telecommunications, satellite navigation and cybersecurity. And in the meantime, new players are joining the international community. India is getting ready to fly its first astronaut, while China is building its new space station. Everyone wants to be ready to get a piece of the cake of what has been called 'the fifth industrial revolution'.

by Enrica Battifoglia

The impact of war

The most tangible change in the world of cooperation took place when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The European Space Agency (ESA), with its 22 Member States and many Western companies, decided to sever relations with Roscosmos, the Russian Federation's space corporation. The result was a knock-on efect with vast implications for all space programs.

ESA's ExoMars mission, a joint project with Russia originally scheduled to launch a robotic rover in 2022, was halted because of the Russian aggression against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 and delayed by 6 years. The Rosalind Franklin rover is meant to search for evidence of life two meters into the Martian surface with a drill designed and manufactured in Italy. New technologies are now necessary to replace the elements originally provided by Roscomos on board the rover. The next launch opportunity is currently scheduled for 2028. NASA has provided an element for the rover.  ESA has entrusted the Italian industry and in particular Thales Alenia Space Italia (Thales 67%, Leonardo 33%), with leading both missions, as well as with the responsibility for all the elements and the entire ro-

Galileo satellites now in orbit are designed to deliver a better satellite navigation signal for the EU.

Credits: ESA

ver system. The vehicle carries a drill made by Leonardo and designed to penetrate the Martian surface to a depth of 2 meters in order to collect samples in search for signs of past or present life. Italy is also in charge of the ROCC - Rover Operation Control Centre - manufactured by Altec (Aerospace Logistics Technology Engineering), owned by Thales Alenia Space Italia (63.75%) and Asi (36.25%). The ROCC will control the surface mission.

With Mars still very much at center-stage, the European Space Agency is working with NASA on the proposed Mars Sample Return mission - MSR - designed to return soil and rock samples from the surface of Mars back to Earth for the frst time in history. The Soyuz launch campaign from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou that included four European missions has been suspended and the Euclid space telescope will be launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in July next.  Italy plays an important role through its Space Agency ASI, the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF), the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), many universities (including Bologna University, Ferrara University, UNIMI, Rome La Sapienza, Roma Tre, University of Trieste, Sissa and Cisas). Together with INAF

and INFN, ASI also leads a Temporary Joint Venture that has provided the instruments, with Ohb Italia as agent, Sab Aerospace and Temis as principals. At the European level, Thales Alenia Space Italia is prime contractor for the construction of the satellite.   Both the EarthCARE mission for Earth observation and the frst two new-generation satellites of the European navigation program, Galileo M10 and Galileo M11, need a new launcher. The same applies to the HERA probe that is to travel to Dimorphos, a small asteroid whose trajectory was defected on September 27, 2022 by NASA's DART probe which crashed into it marking the world's frst attempt at testing a planetary defense strategy that could protect the Earth against incoming asteroids. HERA will have to examine and measure the crater DART generated upon smashing into the asteroid. It is scheduled to launch in 2024 on board of either the new European launcher Ariane 6, or on a Falcon 9. ASI has contributed to the DART mission by supplying the nano-satellite LiciaCube, a unique cosmic photoreporter that has made it possible to collect valuable images and data. LiciaCube, a veritable concentration of new technologies, starting with Artifcial Intelligence, is managed and coordinated by the Italian Space Agency and built by Argotec, and can count on the scientifc cooperation of INAF, Milan Polytechnic, the University of Bologna, the Parthenope University of Naples and the 'Nello Carrara' Applied Physics Institute of the National Research Council (CNR-Ifac).

The Moon - the new frontier

Old alliances are broken and new ones are born and the Moon is no exception to it. Luna-25, Luna-26 and Luna-27 missions, for example, are now waiting for a new rocket their Europe-Russia joint endeavor is no longer. The Esa Pilot-D navigation camera, originally planned for Luna-25, will be tested on a commercial fight while for Luna 27, the implementation of Prospect, a package containing a robotic drill and a miniature lab, will be redirected towards fight on a NASA CLPS -Commercial Lunar Payload Services - mission. A suitable fight opportunity also will be found for PILOT, a full-fedged version of the precision landing and risk prevention technology, originally planned for Luna 27 and necessary for European lunar exploration activities, such as the European Large Logistic Lander (El3).  ESA’s EMS-L, the Exospheric Mass Spectrometer instrument, will fy on board the JAXA/ISRO LUPEX lunar rover mission.   The Moon has become the new frontier of space exploration, especially thanks to the Artemis mission launched by NASA with a view to landing the frst woman and the next man on the moon. It is a feld where many partnerships have been signed with public institutions and private companies. At least 80 new public or private projects are expected to be launched in the next few years to promote lunar

Credits: NASA

exploration and utilization activities. The European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency are leading the way.

The signing of the Artemis Accords, the multilateral agreements establishing the general principles for future lunar missions, has marked Italy's frst step in this direction.  Canada, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and the United States have followed suit. Going back to the moon is no longer enough and it’s a fact: the goal is to stay and to build structures that will make it possible to explore more of the lunar surface and utilize its resources to take the next giant leap and send missions to Mars.

This is why work is being done on the satnav coverage and communication links to the Moon by implementing ESA's Moonlight initiative designed to support future institutional and commercial missions.

The idea is to launch a Lunar Economy and in this project Italy and its industrial sector play an im-

Lunar outpost.

portant role. Telespazio (Leonardo-Thales) heads a consortium whose members are satellite operators such as Inmarsat and Hispasat, major companies such as Thales Alenia Space, Ohb and Mda Uk, SMEs and start-ups such as Argotec, Altec and Nanoracks Europe alongside universities and research centers such as See Lab Sda Bocconi and Milan Polytechnic.  Argonaut is another important European project. It is the name given to the ESA's El3, the European Large Logistic Lander, which is meant to deliver materials, supplies, and infrastructure to astronauts on the lunar surface.

Meanwhile, the British company Sstl is building the frst telecommunications satellite, the Lunar Pathfnder, designed to operate in a lunar orbit, which Nasa will launch in exchange for communication services.

The future of lunar exploration also goes through the selection of crews. The frst European astronaut is expected to fy with the Artemis 4 mission, that

is he or she will be part of the second crew that will set foot on the moon. A second European astronaut is scheduled to take part in the Artemis 5 mission while a third colleague will have a reserved seat on a mission still to be identifed. ESA has given Italy a formal commitment that either Samantha Cristoforetti or Luca Parmitano, two astronauts of the 2009 class, will be able to fy to the Lunar Gateway between 2025 and 2030.

Europe keeps a united front

Europe, a signifcant space power, has made a call to unite in order to face up to such drastic changes as proven by the nearly 17-billion-euro budget that was pledged for ESA at the ESA Council at Ministerial level in Paris in November 2022: it is a marked increase if compared to the previous budgets of 10.3 billion euros in 2016 and 14.5 billion euros in 2019 respectively.

The decision on a new budget was all the more remarkable especially considering that it was agreed on despite the ongoing war, the energy crisis, and the Covid-19 pandemic. It's a trend that all Member States are following starting with Germany, which increased its contribution to space programs from 3.2 billion euros in 2019 t3.5 billion euros in 2022, equaling 20.8% of all of the contributions by ESA Member Countries. France is standing close, up to 3.2 billion euros from 2.6 billion euros, or 18.9%, and Italy has gone from 2.2 billion euros in 2019 to 3.08 billion euros or 18.2%. Italy has allocated considerable resources to Space, earmarking a total of 23 billion euros as envisaged in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRPR).

Also at the 2022 ESA Council at Ministerial level, ESA greenlighted new projects for the Moon, such as Argonaut, and continued to fnance its fagship activities, such as Earth observation, allocating 2.7 billion euros out of the three initially planned. The enormous amount of data delivered by the European satellite constellations, in particular by the Sentinels of the Copernicus program headed by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) with Sentinel-1 Next Generation and Sentinel-3 Next Generation, will soon beneft Earth observation activities. The European Space Agency has got on its agenda also the NGGM (NextGeneration Gravity Mission) and MAGIC mission, which will study the Earth's gravity, oceanic circulation patterns, and watercourses, and the Aeolus-2 mission, designed to improve operational weather forecasts, thanks also to an instrument built in Italy. Aeolus 2 is developed in cooperation with the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, Eumetsat.

Satellite navigation is another strong feature of Europe further enhanced by the coming of Galileo Second Generation (G2).

The intent is to start a Lunar Economy and Italy plays an important role in this project .

New Space Economy

The New Space Economy, or New Space, which started out in the United States when private companies got involved in the Space sector, has brought about major changes. Europe has started to get organized and has become aware that the time to act is now if it is true that thanks to the New Space, as the most recent estimates seem to indicate, the global Space turnover could more than double by 2040, reaching a $1 trillion from the current $350 billion.

The private sector has become a major player in the manufacturing of both launchers and satellites, so much so that, according to ESA's estimates, 'in this decade, the total number of satellites launched each year will be four times that of the 2010s'. Just think of the giant constellations of satellites for the global Internet, such as Starlink and OneWeb, soon to be joined by Amazon's Kuiper project. The company recently got the go-ahead to build a 3,236-satellite constellation for broadband Internet connection to be launched by 2029.

The ESA AGENDA 2025, the document outlining the challenges to maintaining and growing Europe’s role in the space economy, auspicates that Europe will fully beneft from Space. The growing importance of Space applications in everyday life, from the environment and agriculture to transport and civil protection, is evident, and with this in mind, it is essential to strengthening relations between the European Space Agency and the European Union.

The frst step in this direction dates back to the 2004 framework agreement, which was followed in 2009 by the Lisbon Treaty that gave the European Union a specifc Space competence. Therefore, it is important to promote a stronger cooperation between the European Space Agency and other European organizations engaged in Space activities, such as Eumetsat, the European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen), the European Defence Agency (EDA), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the European Centre for Medium-term Weather Forecasts (Cepmmt), and the European Environment Agency (EEAA).

It is equally important to retain expertise in areas that have long been ESA's strengths in space applications, such as telecommunications, satellite navigation, cybersecurity and Earth observation. These sectors could be heavily impacted by quantum technologies-driven innovations that are advancing at a rapid pace in Europe also thanks to the establishment of the frst quantum computer network in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Spain. The initiative is part of EuroQci, one of the pillars of the new EU Secure Connectivty Program to secure satellite telecommunications deploying Iris2, in which the European Space Agency is a player. More about it in our next article.

Access to Space

A prerequisite for all Space activities is access to Space. Following the termination of the Russian Soyuz launch operations, Europe is reorganizing also its Kourou base to be able to meet the growing demand for launches. ESA has entrusted SpaceX with the launch of a number of missions, in anticipation of the new European launchers to which is looking forward with great expectations: Vega-C, soon going back to safe launches after the rocket's failure last December, and the new Ariane 6 heavy-lift launcher.

In the meantime, alliances were struck within the European Agency at the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level held in Paris on 22-23 November 2022. Italy, Germany, and France concurred on the need to review the public funding necessary to equilibrate the Ariane 6 and Vega-C institutional and commercial exploitation   so as to guarantee a substantial return to the Italian sector.  Future projects include Space Rider, the frst reusable transportation system designed to provide Europe with a system for routine access and return from low orbit. It's been strongly supported by ASI. The project is the result of an agreement signed between ESA, Thales Alenia Space, and the European Launch Vehicle consortium formed by Avio and ASI. Mentioned must be made also of the important role played by the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (Cira). Space Rider may be deployed by the Vega-C light launcher. Once in orbit, the European small uncrewed robotic laboratory the size of two minivans could allow for microgravity experiments to be carried out inside its cargo bay.

The great dream of the future is securing Europe an autonomous access to Space also for manned missions. This is also called for in the European Astronaut Manifesto, which emphasizes how crucial it is to develop launchers suitable for carrying spacecraft with astronauts on board.

The Space Rider aboard the Vega C launcher. Crediti: ESA

It is essential to strengthen the relationship between Esa and the European Union.

THE KNOWLEDGE [TO] PROTECT

Security is our commitment

Monitoring of strategic data and assets. Predictive and proactive protection from physical and cyber threats. Secure digitisation of processes. Critical communications. These are the technological and operational capabilities that Leonardo offers institutions, members of the public, infrastructures and businesses.

115,000 security events monitored per second, and 1,800 alarms handled every day by the Global SOC (Security Operation Centre). 75 cyber-protected NATO sites in 29 countries and critical communications systems operating in more than 50 countries. Leonardo strives daily to enhance and keep data safe and secure in a world increasingly dependent on it.

Iris2 for an interconnected, resilient and inclusive Europe

by Manuela Proietti

Emergency management, control of natural resources and land, environmental monitoring, climate control, air trafc safety management, maritime and rail transport, cartography, precision agriculture, and autonomous driving are just some of the services ofered by space systems that are increasingly taking on a strategic value, both for governments and civil society.

It is in this context that the European Union has decided to develop a third fagship program after Galileo and Copernicus, focusing on the new sector of satellite-based telecommunications that goes alongside satellite navigation and Earth observation and is just as strategic.  Satellite networks, complementary to terrestrial networks, can contribute to providing a continuous fow of digital data, which is a key capability in handling crisis situations or responding to disasters when a secure and seamless exchange of information is required by the relevant authorities.

To date, satellite-based communication services in the EU for governmental users are delivered by a small number of geostationary satellites, controlled by a few Member Countries, which the EU is trying to federate under the Govsatcom (Government Satellite Communication) program. However, this infrastructure only covers the continental part

The EU has a new flagship program for secure satellite-based communications

of the Union but not the rest of the world and is mainly designed for military purposes, a characteristic that does not always make it compatible with civil applications.

The exploitation of satellite technology for telecommunications is a controversial issue on a global level: in addition to the EU, several players are investing in this capability, as it is discussed in another feature of this Spazio 2050 issue. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the European Commission presented a proposal to improve the resilience of EU communication services on February 15, 2022. It’s a project designed to develop a multi-orbital connectivity infrastructure, consisting of both space and ground segments and based on a public partnership model.

It will be called Iris2, an acronym for Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite, whose ambition is to ofer secure, continuous, broadband communications across the pla-

net. The program involves the construction, launch, and operation of a complex constellation of up to 170 satellites, operating in low, medium, and geostationary orbit. Moreover, a series of ground stations are included in the program and they will be located in several EU countries. The goal is to provide enhanced, secure communication capabilities to governmental users by 2025 and to business users by 2027. The program is also meant to have an important impact on the EU economy and society. According to the EU's vision, the development of the Iris2 infrastructure will foster innovation and inclusion, encourage the participation of new investors in the space sector, such as small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, and create new opportunities for women in space-related sectors.

The Parliament has placed special emphasis on the sustainability of program-related activities, calling, for example, on entrepreneurs engaged in developing the infrastructure to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and implement plans to reduce space debris.

Another crucial issue will be the implementation of new technologies to enhance EU cybersecurity. The EuroQci, the European infrastructure for quantum communication,  which will be discussed in the next feature, is going to be a key resource of Iris2. Quantum cryptography will enable the transmission and exchange of sensitive data while guaranteeing unprecedented security standards.

According to the European Parliament, it is also crucial for the program to help bridge the EU's digital divide reaching out to remote and outermost regions to improve broadband Internet access.

The new satellite constellation also aims to increase the strategic autonomy of the Union, supporting its competitive edge in industry and science, as well as its ability to access and operate in space.

The program received fnal approval from the Council on March 7, with the EU allocating a EUR 2.4 billion budget. The project will be led by the EU Space Program Agency - EUSPA - with the support of a number of partners including Member States, the European Space Agency, and private companies.

Italy through ASI is involved in the management of Iris2 according to the comitology foreseen for the EU space program. It is scheduled to participate in the EU Space Committee in Govsatcom confguration. Furthermore, the Italian Space Agency is engaged in the management of the optional ESA Program Related to the EU Secure Connectivity, having signed it during the Council at Ministerial Level in November 2022.

To date, satellite-based communications services in the EU for government usage are provided by a small number of geostationary satellites.

A diagram of how Quantum Key Distribution works

Alice sends Bob a sequence of bits, each of which is encoded in the polarization of a photon passing through one of two possible polarization flters: horizontal-vertical or diagonal. If Bob chooses to measure the polarization using the same basis for the flter, then he will be able to decode the bit, which will make up the cryptographic key.

EuroQci: quantum telecommunications for europe

by Luca Mingotti Landriani

The project developed in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), will provide an additional security layer for sensitive data

Photons

Base

key

We're living in an era when every day and almost without realizing it, we transmit and receive a huge amount of data via our devices, be they smartphones, computers, or tablets. Much of this mass of data contains highly sensitive information: sufce to think of areas such as e-commerce or home banking. It is therefore essential to ensure that their transmission is not only fast, but above all secure. This is the reason why the European Commission is developing EuroQci, a state-of-the-art infrastructure composed of a terrestrial segment relying on fber communications networks and a space segment, SAGA, based on satellites.

The major novel feature of EuroQci is that it provides an additional security layer based on quantum phy-

sics: the key lies in a highly secure way of delivering encryption key material, known as quantum key distribution (QKD). Daniele Dequal, ASI researcher and advisor for optical and quantum telecommunications to the Italian ESA delegation involved in the development of SAGA, explains the rationale for it. The quantum key distribution (QKD) "makes it possible to create a security system that cannot be hacked by any classical or even quantum super-computer," said Dequal. It is a major step forward compared to today's encryption systems, such as public key cryptography, that quantum computing renders vulnerable to potential attacks.

But what is the role played by quantum mechanics? QM produces a cryptographic key, i.e. the cipher

The Matera experiment: why SAGA is going to work

In order to implement EuroQCI’s space-based component, it is important to ensure that the particles transmitted in space - in this case, photons - are not subject to atmospheric effects that could cause perturbation in their quantum state, generating errors in the QKD. This is why it was decided to carry out an important experiment, one of the frst of its kind, with the participation of the University of Padua and the ASI Space Centre in Matera. The researchers involved in the experiment used satellites already in orbit to simulate a quantum information transmission system: they sent photons to a satellite one at a time. Photons were sent back to Earth after being appropriately refected. The experiment showed that a characteristic quantity of photons, their polarization, is preserved on their journey back to earth thus enabling the encoding of bits: a crucial result in view of the implementation of SAGA.

Credits: ESA

that allows the parties exchanging keys to decrypt the message. In the QKD, the sender - whom we shall call Alice - generates a random sequence of bits to be transmitted to the receiver - whom we shall call Bob. Each bit is encoded by Alice into one of two given bases of a particle, which are impossible to measure simultaneously with absolute precision: this is guaranteed by the uncertainty principle, one of the pillars of quantum mechanics. To decode each bit, Bob will also choose one of two mutually incompatible bases: if this corresponds to the one selected by Alice, then Bob will actually be able to trace the bit in question, or else the information will be lost. In this way, Alice and Bob will obtain a random subset of bits from the original bit sequence and that will form the required cryptographic key. The advantage of the QKD lies in the fact that it is quite easy to understand whether there is an eavesdropper between Alice and Bob intercepting the message: in such a case, the quantum state of the particles is disrupted, 'creating a measurable communication error between sender and receiver,' Dequal said.

EuroQCI, whose development started in 2019, will not only secure sensitive data across the EU but will also teach us all an important lesson: quantum mechanics is much closer to our lives than we might think.

Illustrations from the SAGA spacebased component of EuroQCI.

Quantum technologies: recent patent developments in the space sector

by Lucia Bonventre, Alberto Caponi and Tanya Scalia

and related algorithms, as well as new paradigms for secure communication systems. The use of quantum cryptography and its implementation capabilities can generate inestimable benefts by enhancing satellite secure communications, as proven by recent satellite experimental missions. The development of quantum computing capabilities will be a game changer in space systems. It will enable the development of advanced systems capable of analysing vast amount of data and supporting critical missions also through AI.

A study on patent titles published between 2010 and 2020 at the international level was carried out in order to achieve a better understanding of the evolution of quantum technologies. Patents legally protect inventors and their technologies, while representing useful innovation indicators whose features, such as geographical distribution, main markets of interest, actors involved, etc. can be analysed.

The Space domain has acquired a planetary strategic relevance while becoming one of the most proftable sectors, also thanks to a multitude of diversifed public and private players currently operating in its upstream and downstream segments.

Space is a very dynamic sector as the statistics about patent applications fled at the international level seem to indicate. The sector welcomes both incremental and disruptive innovations that often originate from other industrial sectors, like information technology, computer networks and IoT solutions. It is these innovations that are contributing to an ever increasing exposure of terrestrial and space systems to cyber attacks, which require the implementation of appropriate security measures and solutions.

As a result new security technologies and practices have been gradually emerging in the space sector as well, where the implementation of quantum technologies has been increasing steadily, potentially having a major impact on the security of cryptographic systems

Geographical distribution of patent families related to quantum technologies in the 2010-2020 period

Credits: Bing technology, © Australian Bureau of Statistics, GeoNames, Microsoft, Navinfo, Tom Tom, Wikipedia.

The outcome of the study provides an overview of the number (105) and geographical distribution of patent families from the feld of quantum technologies. This shows that the main markets of interest are located in the United States of America, Canada, Korea, China, India, Japan and Australia, as well as in several European countries, including Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The analysis confrms a strong increase in the number of inventions in the feld of communications and quantum computing, which has developed dynamically in recent years, well above the general trend that has been recorded in all the other technological sectors.

Cristiano di Thiene SpA official licensee ASI Italian Space Agency

AthenAFidus, an ItalIan-French telecommunIcatIons system

by Francesca Pieralice

Athena-Fidus (Access on THeatres and European Nations for Allied forces - French Italian Dual Use Satellite) is a satellite telecommunications system for dual-use broadband communications services. The satellite was launched in 2014 and has an expected operating lifespan of over 15 years.

Developed by the Italian Space Agency and the Centre national d'études spatiales (Cnes) as part of cooperation agreements signed by the Italian and French Ministries of Defence and the two countries' space agencies, the program is dedicated to both military and civil governmental uses, such as emergency management of both natural and man-made disasters, civil protection operations, surveillance and security, and the management and monitoring of critical infrastructure.

The system is based on a geostationary satellite operating in the Ka/EHF band with payloads dedicated to Italian and French national needs. For civilian users, the Italian Space Agency – ASI - has a payload on board the satellite operating in Ka-band and a ground infrastructure (gateway) located at the Fucino Space Center.

The Italian capacity of Athena-Fidus has supported and continues to do so, various experimental projects for the use of satellite telecommunications for governmental purposes, such as the European Commission's CloseEye project for maritime surveillance, or telemedicine applications in cooperation with regional companies for health emergencies, or within the framework of the ESA Artes projects for the development of integrated applications that Italy fnances.

Looking at the immediate future, Athena-Fidus system represents in Europe a potential contributor

of Italy to the European Govsatcom, which will be based on the concept of pooling & sharing satellite resources made available by all EU Member States. Govsatcom will ofer European governmental users a secure and resilient satellite connectivity service. In a framework of cooperation and participation, and from the point of view of pooling & sharing resources, it will also be able to support Member Countries that do not have their own national systems. Moreover, it will also play a key role in operations of common interest at the European level, e.g. for European External Action Service (Eeas), Common Security and Defence Policy, or European civil protection.

Govsatcom represents the frst building block of the EU Secure Connectivity program, which will consist of a multi-orbital constellation of telecommunications satellites.

The Italian-French geostationary satellite Athena-Fidus for dual-use telecommunications

Europe’s Galileo between present and future

by Fulvia Croci

Galileo is the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) wanted and financed by the European Union and developed by ESA, designed to send radio signals providing positioning, navigation and timing information.

The Galileo Public Regulated Service (Prs) became operational in 2013 to deliver positioning data for the development of sensitive applications primarily intended for use by EU Member State government authorised users. Galielo's capabilities have grown with the addition of the OpenService Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA), a data authentication function in open GNSS signals, and the High Accuracy Service (HAS), which provides access to the information required to estimate an extremely accurate positioning solution. But Galileo is not standing still.

HAS, OSNMA and PRS: the Galileo constellation services

Europe’s Galileo system – comprising a 24-satellite constellation to date, with its Open Service can deliver real-time positioning accuracy down to the meter range. Its strength lies precisely in the fact that it was created to meet many needs through the provision of services designed for diferent users. It's versatile and covers a wide range of areas from telecommunications, transportation, environment, to maritime surveillance and the security of citizens and infrastructure.

The Public Regulated Service (PRS), whose experimentation phase dates back to 2013, is Galileo's longest-running service. PRS is a high-precision service designed to provide positioning data for the development of sensitive applications intended for use by government-authorised users such as law enforcement agencies. The PRS service is designed to

The three services ensure greater safety and reliability  of the signal broadcast from the constellation satellites

be compatible with military GPS services allowing the deployment of receivers simultaneously using secure signals. This feature ensures improved performance particularly in case of limited sky visibility or in the presence of directional disturbances in military or civil environments.

Experimentation with Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) began in 2020. It is a data authentication function for the Galileo Open Service users. OSNMA provides receivers with the assurance that the received Galileo navigation message is coming from the system itself and has not been modifed. This authentication function is useful for several

felds such as aviation or maritime sectors that may not be able to function nominally in the event of a modifed signal.

The latest addition to the constellation's services is the High Accuracy Service (HAS), which ofers a new dimension of precision delivering horizontal accuracy down to 20 cm and vertical accuracy of 40 cm. Unveiled during the European Space Conference last January, the new service presents an additional layer of real-time positioning corrections that are relayed to compatible receivers through the Galileo satellite signal. The ESA and the European Union have announced that the service will be further enhanced

with the launch of the latest satellites, to be followed by Galielo's second-generation (G2) satellites.  Moreover, the European Space Agency and EUSPAthe European Space Agency that deploys the system and provides services for Galileo- will oversee key upgrades to the system. The EUSPA intends to implement HAS in areas of strategic importance such as high-precision agriculture, robotics, autonomous driving, and satellite formation fying.

The Galileo constellation in orbit. Credits:ESA - P. Carril

A ‘Batch 3’ satellite at the ESA's ESTEC Center. Credits: Esa-P, Muller

GAlileO 2Nd GeNeRATiON WHAT' S NeW AbOuT THe cONSTell ATiON

by Fulvia Croci

Galileo, Europe's satellite navigation constellation, is to reach higher levels of accuracy thanks to its second-generation (G2) satellites. Last July, the European Space Agency issued 11 open invitations to tender totaling EUR 950 million, not yet formally awarded, with a view to equipping the satellites with new functions in the present decade.

G2 satellites boast numerous technological upgrades, developed through the EU and the ESA R&D programs. Galileo is Europe’s civil global satellite navigation constellation ofering meter-scale accuracy to more than 2 billion users worldwide. With improved accuracy, the new generation should be able to ofer decimeter-scale precision positioning to all.  These Galileo second generation (G2) satellites will revolutionize the Galileo feet, joining the 24 Full Operational Capability (FOC) satellites currently in orbit plus the ‘Batch 3’ satellites now being tested.   The 11 procurements cover key areas of the G2 ground segment, including ground control, i.e. the key infrastructure for the operation of the system that will be used to monitor and integrate the services of all satellites.

Moreover, the above contracts include also the 'System Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) in

Here are the areas of interest in detail:

eSA has fnanced 11 new procurements with a view to equipping G2 satellites with new functions for different users  ESA's ESTEC center in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, is the test center of the Galileo constellation.

Credits: Sjm Photography

• G2 Ground Control Segment (G2GS) used to ensure full control of the G2 satellites.

• G2 In Orbit Validation Ground Mission Segment and Secured Facility used to ensure the provision of new and legacy capabilities to Galileo users.

• G2 In Orbit Validation Security Monitoring (G2 Sec Mon) to monitor the security of all elements of the Galileo system.

• G2 System Test Bed (G2Stb) for monitoring of the Galileo constellation and the development and validation of all new G2 capabilities, excluding the secure high-accuracy PRS service (Public Ragulated Service).

• G2 Public Regulated Test Bed (G2PRSTB) – for the monitoring of the Galileo PRS and the development and validation of all new G2 PRS capabilities.

• G2 Security Chain Test Bed (G2SC) – to ensure full compatibility between the security elements of the G2 system: space, ground, receivers.

• G2 Filling Device (GS FD) – cryptographic element to enable the secure communication and initialization between the different security elements of the G2 system.

Phase CDE', which entails the recruitment of European experts to provide assistance to the ESA. The new G2 satellite constellation will be constructed in a short time scale, with their frst launch expected halfway through this decade, allowing the system to commence operations as soon as possible. Electric propulsion and an enhanced navigation antenna will be among the technological innovations of the constellation; their fully digital payloads are being designed to be easily reconfgured in orbit, enabling them to actively respond to the evolving needs of users with novel signals and services. In addition, all satellites will be equipped with advanced jamming and spoofng protection mechanisms to safeguard Galileo signals. Galileo second-generation (G2) satellites will make it possible for users to acquire the signal faster on their smartphones and access services when switching on their devices, with less energy consumption.

As a further feature, the constellation will also provide an advanced search and rescue (SAR) function to initiate rescue operations. The new systems will ensure more efective communication with populations afected by natural disasters. Satellites will be able to deliver distress signals independently of telecommunication service providers, using the Galileo navigation signals as a one-way messaging service.

"These procurements," said Javier Benedicto, ESA Director of Navigation, "represent an important step forward for Europe, through the implementation of innovative technologies to ensure an order of magnitude improvements in precision. G2 is a unique program for Europe, an ambitious evolution of the Galileo system, encompassing both legacy services and the future of navigation, positioning, and timing capabilities for all users to come."

Robustness and accuracythat's what esa wants fRom space

by Giuseppe Nucera

performing an in-orbit demonstration to prove that the LEO-PnT satellite navigation constellation and the new Genesis earth mapping satellite are planned to deliver robustness and accuracy.

Does your navigation system get stuck in a tunnel, in a city, or under a mountain?  ESA's LEO-PNT constellation represents novel and more robust navigation techniques designed to overcome such issues. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) provides signals from space that transmit positioning and timing information to be used to determine a destination and the time of arrival. The GNSS service is based on the U.S. GPS and Europe's Galileo navigation systems, delivering the signal to about 6.5 billion receivers worldwide. It is an essential service that must address ever more particular user needs: from sustainable mobility to smart cities, from the Internet of Things to indoor positioning.

The purpose of ESA’s mission to perform an in-orbit demonstration of LEO-PNT constellation aims to meet all these future user demands. The PNT acronym stands for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing services delivered to users, while LEO speaks of low Earth orbit constellations. Unlike traditional satellite-based navigation systems from MEO only, above 20,000 km altitude, the LEO-PNT constellation would incorporate signals from low-Earth orbit satellites at altitudes of less than 2,000 km. Combining LEO-MEO systems will ensure a more robust and efcient PNT delivery, with many more satellites providing coverage also where there is none today.

"Low-orbit satellites move faster ensuring better functioning of the precise positioning algorithms," said Mauro Cardone, Head of ASI Navigation Programs Ofce, "and being closer to Earth, they can be more powerful and their signals stronger and able to over-

come interference." In addition, they do not require an atomic clock on board, being able to lock onto that of the MEO satellites, thus implementing a multilayer system-of-systems’ approach. Unlike MEO satellites, LEO satellites will be much smaller entailing an economy of scale with multiple launches. All this will translate into lower development costs for European companies.

The GNSS system can be a powerful tool for scientifc applications provided that it delivers positioning data with errors that do not exceed the sub-centimeter level of precision.

The GGOS (Global Geodetic Observing System) program targets a global reference system accuracy of around 1 mm with a long-term stability of 0.1 mm/y by combining all four space geodetic techniques (GNSS, DORIS, SLR-LLR, VLBI). For the frst time ever they will be co-located on a single space platform with Genesis, a mission approved by the European Space Agency during the Council at the Ministerial Level in November 2022.

GENESIS, to be launched in 2026 at an altitude of 6,000 km, aims to achieve the goal set by GGOS. "By combining the four geodetic techniques on a single space platform, with a well-calculated orbit, I can reduce to a set level their systematic errors," said Francesco Vespe, Program Manager of Space Geodesy Activities at ASI Center of Matera. This is a challenge that sees the Italian Space Agency, ASI, at the forefront: the Matera Space Center is one of the few ground stations where the four techniques are co-located together.

Illustration of the constellation Esa's LEO - PNT. Credits: Esa

A showcase for small and medium-sized enterprises and national start-up companies, whose goal is highlighting unique growth paths, evolving business models and adaptation and anticipation strategies of the most advanced New Space trends, so that the whole sector can draw inspiration from them.

SPacEEXEcOnnEc TInG peRfoRmance capacIt Y and rELIaBILIT y

by Silvia Ciccarelli

that is currently used in about 150 monitoring points in Italy, and to start cooperating with the Yetitmoves start-up for further solutions abroad (Iceland, Greece, Romania). The product is constantly evolving thanks also to the support of the EUSPA with GREAT, which will allow Spaceexe to be the frst Italian company to enter the market of GNSS reference stations alongside international giants.

Spaceexe's value proposition lies in the designing of GNSS devices that are highly competitive in terms of performance and price and that can be used in customized, vertical solutions meeting specifc requirements: high positioning accuracy, power saving, telecommunications optimization, and miniaturization. The knowledge and integration of GNSS with power solutions and electronics make the company stand out in the Italian market further confrming its level of excellence in the national framework.

Incubated in Rome in Europe's frst ESA BIC, Spaceexe draws inspiration from and strikes partnerships with national companies and in particular with start-ups. A partnership with GISKY, an ESA BIC incubatee, has allowed Spaceexe to implement solutions integrating GNSS technology to generate the "where" and GIS technology to represent it and enable spatial analysis. Following the development of “AudioBike” for the cultural heritage market, a spin-out has led to the delivery of a safety-related service targeting road circuits with partner Youco.

Spaceexe draws inspiration from a fle extension with executable code, and it’s driven by the ambition to represent the executable in Space. Its mission is to transfer space-based technologies and in particular satellite navigation technology to diferent economic felds.

The start is marked by the incubation process of the MESSI HP project for smart shin guards for football players integrating GNSS-sensors to monitor in real time the physical and tactical performance of a fo otball team.

The key element to keep Spaceexe competitive is its high-precision positioning function matching "Accu racy Matter," the EUSPA's slogan for Galileo.

This football targeting project has been slow to de velop due to inexperience and a lack of knowledge of football dynamics. However, the technologies developed have opened up novel avenues. The ESA DEDALOS project for monitoring structural and geophysical deformations has made it possible to deliver a solution

In 2017, it was among the founding companies of the EUSPA Task Force for raw data measurement where European experts, scientists, and entrepreneurs work together to foster the development of ever more advanced applications for everyday devices. The company's immediate next project focuses on precision autonomous navigation for the maritime sector,MASS. In light of the “ASI-Porti” initiative the ESA has approved an I-MASTER program in cooperation with CNR-INM to build a Test Range for the certifcation of MASS-enabling devices.

ZOOM ON SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES

From GuGlielmo marconi to AI

by Mario Musmeci

A pioneering probe called Voyager 1, which was launched 45 years ago, is now 18 billion kilometers away from Earth, traveling at 61,000 kilometers per hour. It is in interstellar space and still sending radio signals back to Earth that, after a journey of "only" 18 and a half hours, reach Earth to give us more data and measurements of enormous importance.

In a way, Voyager owes Guglielmo Marconi for its ability to communicate without having to carry 18 billion kilometers of telephone wire! As we know, Marconi developed the frst efective transmission system whose evolution led to the development of radio and television and generally to all modern communication systems and methods.

But what's the magic in the radio signals used to communicate? Why is it that more than 100 years after Marconi's telegraph we still cannot do without wireless communications and are striving to perfect them and make them available everywhere on Earth and even on the Moon and on Mars?

The radio frequency spectrum today is one of the most important, valuable resources that are at the center of technological, economic, political, and regulatory debates. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN body, meets periodically and is responsible for the management of the radio-frequency spectrum.  It brings together scientists, industries, states, and the space, aviation, and amateur radio communities to make the diferent services compatible and possibly coexisting and interoperable. Indeed, the spectrum available for radio communications is just as crowded as the seats at Teatro alla Scala in Milan on the occasion of a premiere: as soon as a seat becomes vacant, there are many who want it. More seats may be added by extending frequency bands over new areas. Optical and quantum telecommunications (see the related article in this issue) exemplify this trend. Unfortunately, on top of being subject to ferce

Voyager today can communicate without carrying around 18 billion kilometers of telephone wire thanks to Guglielmo Marconi!

competition, the electromagnetic spectrum is highly vulnerable to natural phenomena (sun, ionosphere) and to intentional or unintentional interference and dead areas. Although we can accept signal degradation during a TV broadcast of a football game, we must ensure the continuity and integrity of communication channels during critical activities such as an aircraft landing, the mobility of a self-driving car, or an astronaut performing EVAs in orbit, on the Moon or on Mars!

The "hunger" for connectivity combines two ongoing revolutions, i.e.  Artifcial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). They contribute to the exponential increase in the number of devices requiring radio communication channels. Analytical capacity and processing are increasingly transferred to the "cloud," which, however, requires continuous and highly performing connectivity. AI algorithms make it possible to collect basic data locally and use the communication channel only for analysis results and on the basis of predefned events such as alerts.

The Marconi Company Magnetic Detector was used in the experimental campaign aboard the Royal Ship Carlo Alberto in the summer of 1902. The detector is on show at the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo Da Vinci in Milan.

Therefore radio communications increasingly rely on local intelligence systems and the cloud to optimize and secure diferent applications and limit "expensive," "busy," and often unavailable communications or transmissions that might be received with major delays (see lunar or Mars missions).

Future scenarios of widespread AI will incorporate systems/devices communicating with human users in increasingly natural ways so as to facilitate access to data and services by making knowledge usable at a distance and for all. Such scenarios also have the ability to evolve due to deep learning algorithms that improve communication services as they are used and adapt to the resources available as appropriate.

The trend points to the shaping of a heterogeneous scenario where the combined use of terrestrial, space-based services and diferent technologies will occur in a totally transparent way for the end user, who will enjoy a communication and/or a navigation service, without knowing what infrastructure and frequencies he or she is using at any given time.

A context in which the user assigns the utmost priority to standards of security, privacy, connectivity, and performance.

FINDING yOUr wAy IN thE wOrLD: getting on the road with extra-european navigation systems

by Valeria Guarnieri

A short guide to the main navigation systems - GPS, GLONASS, and BEIDOU

Getting lost in an unfamiliar area or stopping to check a road map are a thing of the past: the widespread use of satellite navigators and geolocation applications has made travel, excursions, and outdoor sports activities easier and safer.

Nowadays, devices to get around easily are within everyone's reach, also thanks to smartphone-based apps, unlike in the past when satellite navigation was reserved for the military sector. Research in that feld triggered the development of the very frst navigation systems including the famous GPS (Global Positioning System), whose beginnings date back almost 50 years.

The U.S. constellation project was initiated in December 1973 by the U.S. Department of Defense and was designed to do away with the limitations characterizing earlier systems, such as the Navy's TRANSIT satellite navigation system. The GPS was designed to operate seamlessly, virtually globally, and with much higher accuracy than its predecessors.

The launch of an experimental satellite in June 1977 was followed by Navstar 1, the frst satellite in the GPS constellation that began its journey into space on Feb. 22, 1978. The original constellation included 24 satellites, while the current number of units traveling in Medium Earth orbit (MEO) at an altitude of about 20 thousand kilometers has increased to 32. The deployment of the GPS system for civilian users dates back to 1991, albeit the system was less accurate than in military applications. The issue was solved in the year 2000, while some limitations still remain valid but do not apply to countries that are allies of the United States.

The GPS was born in the midst of the Cold War and it was only natural that the then-Soviet Union set up its own satellite-based system - the GLONASS (GLObal NAvigation Satellite System). Development of the system began in 1976, but the frst satellite, named after the program, was launched on October 12, 1982. The

The evolution of GLONASS satellites. Credits: Glonass-Iac

constellation was completed in 1995, only to experience a period of decline due to the crisis that hit the Soviet Union. This phase came to an end only in the early 21st century, and the functionality of the system was fully recovered in December 2011. At present, there are 26 satellites in Medium Earth orbit at an altitude of just over 19,000 kilometers, of which 23 are operational.

New realities are emerging in the navigation sector: now that the 'space race' between the United States and the Soviet Union is no more, other players, such as China, have made their debut and are rapidly catching up with the historical space powers.

China has joined the feld with BeiDou (Chinese name for the Big Dipper), a system whose project began in 1994 to kick of on October 31, 2000, when the frst satellite was launched.

The program has gone through several phases, gradually improving its performance: BeiDou-1, composed of three satellites in geostationary orbit whose coverage was limited to China and neighboring countries. It was decommissioned at the end of 2012. BeiDou-2, active since 2011 for the Asia Pacifc region and consisting of 35 satellites (27 of which are in Medium Earth orbit) and BeiDou-3, a constellation completed in June 2020 and composed of 30 satellites (24 of which are deployed in Medium Earth orbit) capable of providing global coverage.

At this point, all you need to do is pick a destination and set of with not a care on your mind ...GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and of course the European Galileo will take care of the rest.

The GPS constellation in orbit around the Earth. Credist: Noaa

A satellite of the GPS constellation. Credits: NASA

A Super AnTennA for Deep Space in SarDinia

by Giuseppe Nucera

The Sardinia Deep Space Antenna (SDSA) managed by the Italian Space Agency, ASI, is evolving to support humans on future interplanetary missions to the Moon and Mars

The SDSA enhancement process now under way will secure novel functions that will enable astronauts fying on interplanetary missions to communicate with their loved ones on Earth while ensuring privacy, or allow the direct acquisition of data generated by distant technologies from lunar bases, just to mention a few.

The SDSA represents the deep space confguration of the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT), which is among the largest ones in Europe with its 64-meter dish. Located in San Basilio, 30 km North of Cagliari, the telescope was built in 2012 by INAF (National Institute of Astrophysics) in partnership with the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the Sardinia Region and the Ministry of Education and Universities and Research (MIUR). The SDSA shares with the SRT a part of the infrastructure but has its own control center to communicate with spacecraft and provide navigation services. On top of its radio astronomy research activities to capture radio signals emitted by celestial bodies, a good portion of the Center's observational time is dedicated to space activities and radio science.

The SDSA was frst deployed in 2017 to track the Cassini probe, a NASA-ESA-ASI mission, in its fnal stage when diving into Saturn's atmosphere. The ability to pick up even the faintest signal from interplanetary spacecraft is the SDSA's key feature that led it to be

included in Nasa's Deep Space Network (DSN), a multi-mission system of antennas located around the world to monitor all space missions. Internationally known as DSN69, the Italian antenna was deployed, under the management of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and in cooperation with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to track the Mars landing of the InSight lander at the end of 2018.

"The size of the SDSA allows for incredible levels of performance, which is an invaluable feature for missions’ special operations, in emergency conditions and when necessary to ensure antenna redundancy capabilities," said Viviano Salvatore, Head of the Site, ASI.

Italy’s super antenna can support the DSN at topical moments, while the other antennas carry out a routine monitoring of operational missions.

The Sardina Deep Space Antenna, which is also used for national and ESA missions, is now going through an upgrade that will provide Italy with greater Deep Space Ground Capability, that is the ability to monitor from Earth future missions heading towards distant worlds.

The evolution rests primarily on the expansion to other frequency bands: the current X-band downlinks will be coupled by K-band downlinks in the near-Earth region, i.e. within two million kilometers of the Earth thus including the Moon, too. Beyond that distance, in the Deep Space region, the new Ka-band receive capability will be added and thus near and Deep Space transmit capability will be ensured.

The use of new bands will provide increased capacity to acquire data, with throughput increasing from

ASI's Sardinia Deep Space Antenna (SDSA)

about ten to 150/500 megabits per second. "This new level of performance takes into account the evolution of space missions: in the future, astronauts traveling to Mars will need to contact the control center but also their family, their doctor and share sensitive information in a secure fashion."

By upgrading technologies more data will be collected and transmitted more securely. However, the new frontiers of deep space pose a problem: the farther you go, the weaker the signal becomes. This is where the SDSA can be of great avail by tracking a spacecraft even with very low on-board communication power. This is also due to the antenna pointing that has switched from an open loop system to a feedback system.

"Once a probe signal is acquired, the SDSA adjusts its pointing locking onto the signal to improve its reception. It is a crucial capability in case of a very low received power," said Viviano.

Italy’s super antenna will become indispensable for acquiring large amounts of data from future lunar bases and sites, as well as signals from small CubeSat satellites and very low-power equipment placed on the lunar surface, especially if stable communication networks are not available.

To support the development of the SDSA, the Italian Space Agency, ASI, is setting up a new facility at Selargius, the SDSA Research Center. It is designed to support station operations and research activities related to space telecommunications and mission science content, providing suitable scientifc and logistical support to university researchers engaged in the Antenna.

Deep Space Network, the king of 'interplanetary surveillance'

Do you remember the impact of NASA's DART probe against the asteroid?

Images taken by LiciaCube, the Italian Space Agency’s nanosatellite, have reached Earth, after a journey of 12 million kilometers, thanks to a special network the U.S. agency has designed to pick up signals in Deep Space: the Deep Space Network (DSN).   It’s the largest and most sensitive scientifc telecommunications system in the world. It consists of three facilities spaced equidistant from each other – approximately 120 degrees apart in longitude –in California, Spain and Australia. Their strategic placement permits constant monitoring as our planet rotates thus ensuring that any spacecraft are always visible to at least one of the three giant antennas. 'Interplanetary surveillance' pursues many goals: monitoring the health and activities of a spacecraft; determining its position and speed accurately; and performing scientifc investigations. By relying on the Deep Space Network, robotic explorers venturing beyond Earth do not need their own specialized space communications network.  The Network's highly sophisticated technology amplifes and decodes even the faintest signals picked up by interplanetary spacecraft, which are degraded by background radio noise emitted by celestial bodies in the Universe. The data is then processed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and provided to mission science teams.

The precursor to the Deep Space Network was born in 1958 when three portable radio stations were deployed in Nigeria, Singapore and California to monitor and track the launch of Explorer 1, the frst U.S. satellite.

The Madrid radio telescope, one of three giant antennas that make up the DSN  Credits: NASA/ Jpl-Caltech

The Goldstone radio telescope, one of the three giant antennas making up the DSN  Credits: NASA/ Jpl-Caltech

An Italian receiver to be installed on the Moon to test future lunar communications

LuGRE, lunar connection tests

by Giulia Bonelli

Following the success of the Artemis 1 mission, the return of manned missions to the Moon is drawing closer with the goal to establish a long-term human presence on our satellite. In addition to the scientifc and technological challenges regarding the safety of future lunar crews, the project will require the development of reliable lunar telecommunication capabilities, enabling astronauts to live, move and

work on the Moon while keeping in constant contact with each other and with Earth and enjoying the support of several robotic and automated systems. In this respect, the European Space Agency has been working for several years now on the so-called Moonlight project, which envisages a constellation of lunar satellites that would provide navigation data on our satellite, a kind of lunar GPS. The Lunar Pathfnder satellite, scheduled to launch by the end of 2024, will be the frst step in this direction.

In the meantime, fnal trials are being conducted to ensure future lunar connectivity. Italy is a key player with LuGRE, a joint ASI-NASA research and technological development project, which is designed to use the GPS and Galileo signals on the Moon. The project is part of the Artemis program initiatives and the corresponding Italy-US agreements.

LuGRE, which stands for Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment, is a Software Defned Radio (SDR) Receiver operating on a dual frequency and dual constellation. It will travel to the Moon as a payload aboard the Blue Ghost 19D lander, manufactured by Firefy,

The Firefy Blue Ghost 19D lunar lander, due to land on the surface of the Moon in 2024. Credits: Firefy

a US company, for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). In recent weeks, the Italian Space Agency, ASI, and NASA have formally delivered the Flight Model of the full LuGRE payload (receiver and antenna) to Firefy to start the integration process. Nine other scientifc and technological experiments will be aboard the lander together with LuGRE. The payloads will be delivered to the Mare Crisium region of the Moon in June 2024.

"The goal of LuGRE is to travel as far away as possible from Earth and be delivered on the lunar surface in order to collect GPS and Galileo measurements in transit between Earth and the Moon. GPS and Galileo signals are designed to be delivered on the surface of our planet but not outside its orbit," said Mario Musmeci of the Engineering Department of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and coordinator of engineering activities for the ASI-NASA Artemis partnership program.

Musumeci also said that: "To date, NASA has been experimenting with signal reception at a maximum distance equal to 30 Earth radiuses, that is approxi-

mately halfway between the Earth and the Moon. Picking up the signal on the Moon, or even making a specifc positioning on our satellite, as we do with our smartphones, is a great challenge since this experiment has never been carried out before."

Developed for ASI by Qascom, a company located in the Veneto region,  LuGRE is a device no bigger than 25 centimeters with a mere 1.5 kg weight and equipped with highly sophisticated miniaturized technology featuring truly innovative processing algorithms, and designed to capture, track and process GPS and Galileo signals while traveling to the Moon, in cislunar and lunar space.

"Once the lander is on the Moon, we’ll wait for NASA's go-ahead to turn on our receiver on the Moon,'" said Musmeci."We will have 14 days, that is one lunar day, to try to capture, and analyze the GPS and Galileo signals, whose power when they reach Earth is about one-millionth of that of mobile phone signals. The signal will be extremely weak on the lunar surface, and could be confused with background noise. It is a bit like trying to hear the music of an entire orchestra standing in the street, outside the concert hall, through a tiny slit, and with all the background noise of the city. This is the spirit with which we will embark on the Earth-Moon journey to try and intercept the GPS and Galileo signals."

It is a highly complex technological challenge, that aspires to add yet another fundamental building block in the construction of the future lunar communication system. LuGRE will make it possible to understand how the GPS and Galileo systems could be used also for manned lunar missions, for lunar satellite constellations and, in general, for the entire architecture now being developed for the Artemis program.

In his fnal comments, Musmeci said: "This is not just a technological experiment. Its goal is to characterize the signals now being used by satellite navigation for a future system in orbit around the Moon. The Artemis program envisages a lunar space station, the Lunar Gateway, which will orbit the Moon. A lunar base is scheduled to be built at the south pole of the Moon. Several landers will go back and forth from the lunar surface.

The entire infrastructure will need to be supported by a complex communication system, enabling interconnection between its diferent elements and with the control centre on Earth.

They will need navigation, positioning, and timing services to synchronize all the diferent activities. Therefore, navigation services are key for future human habitation on the Moon. And this is why with LuGRE we plan to start testing lunar connectivity.

Artistic rendering of a future lunar base. Credits: ESA - P. Carril

Space: an increaSingly Strategic priority

by the Editorial Staf

Tales Alenia Space: excellent results in 2022 point toward bigger events in 2023

The year 2022 was a paramount year for the future of Space, a sector characterized by a remarkable growth, not only from the commercial business point of view, but also thanks to the momentum brought by Governments and large space agencies to respond to the great challenges of sovereignty, security, connectivity and environmental protection; to the point that the 2022 Ministerial Council of the European Space Agency ended up allocating a budget of 16.9 billion euros, with a 17 percent increase over the former 2019 Ministerial Council.

It is in this context that Thales Alenia Space fts in as the key player in a successful year with major events forthcoming in every domain in 2023: from Observation to Telecommunications, from Navigation to Space Sustainability, from Science to Infrastructure. Undoubtedly, an important milestone was reached in the geostationary telecommunications satellite market: thanks to the contracts to produce six out of ten satellites awarded to Thales Alenia Space on the open global market, the company has confrmed its global leadership in this feld in 2022 as well, that is for two consecutive years.

Other highlights of the year include the successful launch of NASA's Artemis 1 mission, seeking to establi-

sh a sustainable human presence on the Moon. Thales Alenia Space contributed with key technologies to the European service module of the Orion capsule, developed under a European Space Agency (ESA) contract, that will be employed for manned space missions to the Moon and deep space. But Thales Alenia Space is also continuously developing the Lunar Space Station's HALO, ESpr IT and I-Hab modules.

In addition, the company has also signed a study contract with ESA for the development of a payload for extracting oxygen from lunar rock. In this wake, 2023 opens under the banner of growth and of new "missions." A key initiative is undoubtedly the investments on a new space constellation plant that reinforces the role of rome’s facility, where all the Telecommunications and Observation constellations have been integrated and where a new integration center is being planned to leverage the latest digital technologies for space manufacturing, adapted to production capacity and especially to the evolution of the business model, taking into account the growing integration between space and digital technologies.

The year 2023 is also marked by a major Science event. In fact, the launch of Euclid, the ESA mission for astronomy and astrophysics aiming at investigating the nature of dark matter and dark energy, with major contributions from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the French Space Agency (CNES, is planned. Thales Alenia Space is the prime contractor to produce the satellite and is at the head of an industrial consortium made up by major European space companies and relying on scientifc contributions from universities and specialized research centers. Over the past two years, Thales Alenia Space's workforce grew by about 350 units with an impact on the SME’s supply chain. The investments put in place by Governments over the years have been under the banner of continuity and are generating important results: in this research area alone, in the past two years, the space research community amounted to 6,000 employees, whereas there are over 7,000 today.

The European service module Esm 4 of the Orion capsule.

Credits: Thales Alenia Space

Satellite internet

- Starlink and itS new competitorS

by Barbara Ranghelli

"High-speed Internet in the most isolated and hard-to-reach rural regions of the world. Ideal for 4K streaming, video calling, and online gaming'. On February 5, 2023, after Tim faced major internet outages, Elon Musk went on Twitter to target Italian users rwith his Starlink satellite ofer including: '5 diferent plans: residential, business, mobile homes, maritime, aviation'.

The founder and CTO of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) frst announced he would provide satellite Internet services in 2015. In 2019 the company started launching low-orbit satellites. The company's goal in its frst operational stage is to reach a full 4,408-satellite constellation. The closeness to Earth and the vastness of the network explain why Starlink promises worldwide connectivity by the end of 2023. Connectivity has been available in Italy since 2022.

Fibre optics is the fastest Internet connection technology now available, but it has a limit: due to its physical nature, it cannot be brought to remote locations, where the satellite solution could prove to be the most efective one. The goal, as Musk himself emphasized, is to provide broadband internet services in every corner of the planet, through a network of at least 12,000 satellites ofering a high-speed, low-latency service that would be unlike any other satellite internet system.

Starlink is not the only constellation to provide such a service.

Back in 2019, OneWeb announced it would provide global coverage thanks to a network of 648 satellites orbiting at an altitude of 1,200 km by the end of 2023. However, the group, consisting of 18 London-based companies, encountered several difculties. In 2020, OneWeb was saved from bankruptcy by Barthi Global, an Indian multinational corporation, and by the British Government. In 2022, the geopolitical situation following the war in Ukraine made it impossible to use the Russian Soyuz launchers. A total of 502 OneWeb satellites are currently in orbit, the last batch of which was launched atop Indian Lvm3 launchers, and also competitor SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets. OneWeb's growth strategy also envisages a merger with European giant satellite operator Eutelsat by 2023. In 2020, the rival French company signed an agreement with Tim to expand its ofer and reach the most isolated areas in Italy.

While Starlink and OneWeb are already operational, other companies are working to join the satellite internet sector.

Jef Bezos, Amazon founder, announced the Kuiper project in 2018. His aerospace company, Blue Origin, was already competing with SpaceX over space fights. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) greenlighted the project following an update of the orbital debris management protocol. Even in the Kuiper project there is a SpaceX 'tentacle': Rajeev Badyal, Head of Project Kuiper at Amazon Project Kuiper, served as SpaceX’s Vice President of Satellites, in charge of its Starlink division up until 2018.  Amazon Project Kuiper envisages the launch of 3,236 satellites on diferent orbital planes, at an altitude between 590 and 630 kilometers. The launch of the frst KuiperSat is scheduled to take place in 2023.

Russia is busy developing its own version of Starlink to provide connectivity to the country's most remote areas, including its Arctic regions. Russia's Skif constellation was unveiled in November 2022. It is composed of a network of 640 satellites that should provide broadband internet services by 2025. As regards the civil telecommunications sector, Russia has deployed Gonets, a low Earth orbit satellite system that is fully operational. In October 2022  the frst medium Earth orbit (MEO) prototype

Starlink launch (February 28)

Credits: SpaceX

'Skif-D' was launched together with three new Gonets satellites, reaching an altitude of approximately 8,000 kilometers. In 2021, China also announced it would challenge Starlink leadership by launching a mega-constellation of 12,992 satellites. Guowang (GW), the name by which the network goes, is still to set a date for its frst launch, but the goal is to exceed the total number of SpaceX's satellites by 2027.

Boeing, the US company that has been building civil and military aircraft for over a century, has announced its plans to enter the broadband internet market with its own constellation by 2030. Boeing was already given a license to launch satellites on less-crowded orbits: at altitudes of approx. 1,000, 27,000 and 44,000 kilometers, to provide ultra-fast connectivity services over the US territory.

SpaceX still leads the industry: on February 28, the company launched its frst new-generation satellites, bringing the Starlink family to a total of 3,704 units. Meanwhile, Musk, who seems to be always one step ahead of his competitors, announced last December that he's developing a new satellite feet: Starshield . "While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for Government use, and is aimed to enhance national security," the

company wrote on its website. Using next-generation Starlink satellites, the 'Starshield' network will incorporate "additional high-assurance cryptographic capability " to meet high government security standards. Starshield initially will focus on three areas: Earth observation, encrypted communications, and transportation of third-party payloads into space. The constellation will have another key feature: the “inter-satellite laser communications” link to connect to other companies' satellites.

The Starshield network seems to match the requirements of the new Space-BACN security program wanted by DARPA ( Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). DARPA is a US Government agency engaged in the development of military technologies. It is determined to exploit the full potential of laser technology in order to allow continuous communication between diferent satellite constellations thus making eavesdropping more difcult and boost confdentiality. The Space-Based Adaptive Communication Node will enable satellites to be equipped with laser transceivers capable of communicating with each other with a link range up to 5,000 kilometers. In the coming months, Darpa will select the best technologies for a frst low Earth orbit (LEO) test to be carried out by 2025.

Starlink satellites visible in the night sky. Credits: Vito Technology

in 2022, the geopolitical situation following the war in Ukraine made it impossible to use the russian Soyuz launchers.

Leonardo and TeLespazio reward innovation

by Ivana Giannone

The chance to form a start-up and launch an acceleration pathway within the Leonardo Business Innovation Factory. This opportunity was the prize on offer for the winners of the 2022 Telespazio Technology Contest (#T-TeC), the Open Innovation competition promoted by Leonardo and Telespazio that was open to students and researchers from universities and departments from across the world.

With the objective of promoting technological innovation in the space sector among the younger generations, valuing their ideas and intuitions and imagining the technologies of the future together, the fourth edition of the T-TeC came to a close in Brussels on 24 January of this year during the frst day of the European Space Conference.

This setting was by no means chosen at random, as Leonardo Space Activities Coordinator and Telespazio CEO Luigi Pasquali underlined during the awards ceremony. The intention, in fact, was to bring the young participants into the heart of the Space Economy, rubbing shoulders with its leading players.

First and foremost there was the astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, a special guest at the event, who reminded young people how much their contribution can make a diference. Enthusiastically welcomed by the award-winners, Cristoforetti then highlighted the importance of the presence of women in a sector where men still form a large majority.

Evidence of a change in this direction is clear, however, as shown by the fact that a female-led team took frst place on the T-TeC podium out of 20 competing entries from all over the world. The frst prize, giving access to the Leonardo Bifand a cheque for ten thousand euro, went to a team from the Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) and the Observatoire de Paris (France), led by Benedetta Margrethe Cattani.

Their project, Safe – System to avoid fatal events, is an innovative software solution that can be easily integrated into any ground station to assess the likelihood of collisions in orbit and to suggest the best possible manoeuvres to avoid them, minimising both fuel consumption and service downtimes.

The second prize, worth six thousand euro, was awarded to a team from Imperial College (UK), Max Planck Institute (Germany), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Stanford University (USA) and the University of Oxford (UK). The name of the project is Spaice, and it aims to support In-Orbit Servicing by means of a solution based on photorealism enhancement techniques, i.e. on improving the realism of synthetic (computer-generated) images of space assets. Through the use of ar-

tifcial intelligence, Spaice provides accurate images necessary for in-orbit operations aimed at approaching and docking a moving object, such as when refuelling or repairing a satellite. The project will be the subject of a pre-incubation pathway organised by the Politecnico di Torino I3P. With this preparation, the team may aspire to a place on the incubation pathway of the European Space Agency at the Business Incubator Centre of Turin (ESA BIC Turin).

The third prize, worth four thousand euro, was awarded to a team from the Politecnico di Milano with its SunCubes project. This seeks to provide an alternative to the current system for supplying electricity to orbiting assets by means of a satellite network with the main purpose of producing and storing energy, thus dramatically reducing the cost of on-board electricity generation and storage systems borne by satellite manufacturers.

A fourth team from the Politecnico di Torino received a prize introduced this year, namely the Test-it Award. In the opinion of the jury, its Constellation architecture in lunar orbit for energy wireless transmission on the Moon project is ready for a “proof of concept” fnanced by Leonardo with the technical collaboration of Telespazio.

This will provide the team with the tools and resources to move from the idea to experimenting and verifying the design in the laboratory.

Luigi Pasquali, Chief Executive Offcer at Telespazio; Samantha Cristoforetti, ESA astronaut; Franco  Ongaro, Chief Technology and Innovation Offcer at Leonardo; Marco Brancati, Head of Innovation and Technology Governance at Telespazio. In the center: Benedetta Margrethe Cattani and Gaia Roncaldi, representatives of the team from Delft University winner of the #T-TeC 2022.

As well as Luigi Pasquali and Samantha Cristoforetti, the awards ceremony was also attended by other leading fgures from the space industry and institutions, including: Franco Ongaro, Chief Technology and Innovation Ofcer at Leonardo; Marco Brancati, Head of Innovation and Technology Governance at Telespazio; Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency; and Giorgio Saccoccia, President of the Italian Space Agency. Also present were Cristian-Silviu Buşoi, Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy; Ambassador Stefano Verrecchia, Italian representative at COr EPEr ; Marian-Jean Marinescu, Member of the European Parliament and of the “Sky and Space” Intergroup; Ekaterini Kavvada, Director of Innovation and Outreach at the European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space.

5G

connectivity leads the way to the next leap forward in terrestrial and satellite communications

by Giuseppina Pulcrano

and retransmitted. Every point is connected from the periphery to the center and back. It's a location at which application developers and service providers can come together to test and verify the feasibility and benefts of their 5G network applications and services. It's a true incubator, where the challenge is to simulate multi-domain collaborations and test hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks. The European industry needs to act fast to win a place in the market for 5G mobile services – 5G is 100 times faster than 4G and the network is yet to be used for satellite Internet. According to Ericsson Mobility Report 2022, 5G subscriptions increased by 110 million in the third quarter of 2022 only to hit a record fgure of one billion at the end of last year. The scenario is expected to go through a radical change in just fve years: in 2028, North America is going to record the highest 5G penetration reaching 91%, followed by Western Europe with 88 %. Globally, there will be 5 billion 5G subscribers, Ericsson said.

To secure the future of global connectivity, we need to enhance each one of its elements: technology, devices constantly connected to the Internet and a non-terrestrial global network. The European Space Agency has launched the "Space for 5G and 6G" program, to which Italy contributes by conducting several development and testing activities in support of the space sector. Experimentation is necessary and should always target vertical markets, cross-cutting activities, applications, standardization, resource management, interoperability demonstrations and supporting technologies. Outreach activities are just as strategic: informing, educating, training, and above all, combining ideas and experimentation for the beneft of consumers and citizens.

ESA's European Center for Space Applications and Telecommunications - ECSAT- is located at Harwell in Oxfordshire, in the UK. It is also known as the UK Space Gateway.  ECSAT's fagship facility is the 5G/6G Hub, a place where data are dynamically collected

Last July, Ericsson, Qualcomm and Thales announced they would take 5G into space and take the lead by entering smartphone-use-case-focused testing and validation of 5G non-terrestrial networks (5G NTN). They plan to develop 5G connectivity via low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites for mobile phone Internet. Potential applications range from medicine, and energy to telecommunications. However, the space-based network could also beneft government agencies and institutions and be used as back-up support to terrestrial networks in the event of major network outages or disasters.

The validation tests, which began last March, were greenlighted by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) that unites all telecommunication standards development organizations. What happens to 5G radio waves as they move both into and out of Earth's atmosphere is the challenge for a new era of wireless telecommunications. It’s a game changer setting new rules and leading to a real revolution: mobile communication will be more secure and resilient, thanks also to satellites.

esa and the european space industry the challenge of hybrid satellite networks

From 5G to 6G, between augmented reality and artificial intelligence

by Giulia Bonelli

tellites, all mobile devices could be connected to the Internet and to each other in real time, and manage a vast amount of data securing a much higher level of privacy. Movies could be downloaded in a few seconds, and complex industrial operations could be safely monitored: satellite-based 5G is the key to a true technological revolution. It's a challenge to which the European Space Agency has decided to respond by launching the "Space for 5G and 6G " program, with a view to building a cutting-edge European telecommunications system that integrates satellite and terrestrial networks and their related applications.

The 5G and 6G data traffc will change the way we communicate

Every day a large proportion of us use satellites regularly although we may not realize it, like when we check weather forecast, or when we look up a street address by using a GPS signal. Yet most of our mobile technology is still based on data collected from ground stations: just think of the icon on our smartphones and tablets that identifes the network we depend on for our data trafc and that makes it possible for us to stay always connected. 4G technologies primarily rely on an array of antennas that receive and transmit the signal. But not everywhere: there are still many areas in the world where the signal is weak or absent altogether. The future ffth generation of mobile networks could solve this problem. How? By taking advantage of signals transmitted directly from space – the very same ones we use every day for a diversity of services, and that 5G would make into an essential element of our lives.

Satellite technology could change the way we communicate. By transmitting the signal directly to sa-

A research team at ESA's Mission Control Center in Darmstadt, Germany, is working at new formats such as virtual and augmented reality for astronaut training.

And in a not-too-distant future this could translate into yet another revolution when we step into the 6G universe. The sixth generation of mobile telephony is designed to aggregate the most important and advanced technologies that recently have become available: from robotics to Augmented Reality, from the Internet of Things to Artifcial Intelligence.

The market for VR headsets and viewers is a recent evolution. The use of such devices is still relatively limited for they are currently obtrusive and not something that someone would wear outside of the home. However, when 6G will be available, things will change thanks to a more advanced integration between available technologies, thus ensuring continuity between the physical and digital worlds. The metaverse, in short, could become a fuid continuation of reality as we know it today, with endless potential and applications and a huge fow of data collected and processed thanks to Artifcial Intelligence.

ESAbacked French startup Sysveo has developed a way of integrating user-made augmented reality objects into a drone’s video stream so to allow drone operators to analyse data in real time. Credits: Sysveo/ESA

According to a recent analysis by Global Data, a leading global player in data analysis, 6G could even make smartphones irrelevant by 2030. They could be replaced by mixed reality devices that would completely change the way we interact with the world. A scenario that perhaps seems like Sci-Fi to us today but remember that at the end of the last century, the sheer thought of having smartphones that would keep us constantly connected might have sounded like SCIFI, too.

Hera Group: ArtificiAl intelligence

And cosmic rAys to protect our blue gold

by the Editorial Staf

The Hera Group, one of Italy’s largest multi-utility companies, has always strongly focused on innovation, making substantial investments to ensure the continuity and quality of essential services for the local areas in which it operates. Italy’s second-largest operator in the integrated water cycle, with over 3.6 million citizens served in approximately 230 municipalities, Hera Group manages everything from catchment to drinking water and distribution, sewerage systems and purifcation. In this sector alone, it carries out works worth about 130 million euro per year, adopting technological solutions that protect and regenerate, where possible, this resource, in line with the sustainable development goals on the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

State-of-the-art systems for water loss prevention

The use of state-of-the-art tools, combined with more traditional methods, is essential to ensure continuity in services and to prevent, or repair, any network losses.

As early as 2016, among the frst to do so in Italy, the Hera Group equipped itself with an innovative system based on using satellites to scan the subsoil,

to reduce the phenomenon of hidden leaks in water networks. And that’s not all: the Group recently introduced an even more futuristic technology, based on cosmic rays, energy particles that come from space and to which the Earth is continuously exposed. These particles, which are not harmful, are slowed down or absorbed by hydrogen. Given that a water molecule contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, when a water leak occurs many hydrogen molecules absorb the free neutrons and cause them to be less

numerous on street surfaces. The new system, which can be mounted on any mobile vehicle, is able to detect this decrease.

The latest innovation for protecting water resources dates to April 2022, with the launch in Romagna of a pilot campaign that saw the installation of smarty water meters. These devices are capable of sensing network leaks by way of a hydrophone that detects any anomalies in real time thanks to noise, so that repairs

can be carried out immediately. Based on its exclusive ALD (Acoustic Leak Detection) technology, the Hera Group plans to extend this project to other areas in 2023 and 2024. Network leaks can thus be detected early, but how can breakage be prevented? In the end, there is only one way to prevent a leak: replace the pipeline before it breaks. This is why the multi-utility is constantly adding new elements to its already comprehensive active research programme, and is also investing in predictive maintenance thanks to artifcial intelligence. An algorithm makes it possible to identify the points in the water network showing the greatest risk of breakage, so that targeted pipeline replacements can be planned accordingly.

Using satellites for prevention

The Hera Group also makes use of high-tech tools for monitoring sewerage pipes. In addition to drones, designed to support inspections, since 2018 the Group has been using satellite scanning in this area as well. Thanks to the weekly ground level data provided by the European Space Agency, and by superimposing the network map onto the scan, it is possible to obtain a precise verifcation of the state of the ground and the related infrastructure. This way, if rapid downward trends are detected, it is possible to intervene with a video inspection to further investigate the state of the pipelines, switching from a predominantly “emergency” mode to a “predictive” mode.

Technology and purifcation go hand in hand

Innovation in the water sector also concerns purifcation. For example, at the Modena plant, a system has been introduced, once again thanks to the use of artifcial intelligence, that is capable of controlling the oxidation process, a fundamental phase in the wastewater purifcation cycle which can improve the quality of outgoing water and optimise energy consumption.

Even more fundamental is the regeneration of this resource. In addition to important protocols for indirect reuse of purifed water signed with the Emilia-Romagna Region and the reclamation consortia, the results of a technologically advanced experimental project for the direct reuse of wastewater in agriculture, developed by Hera in cooperation with ENEA, the University of Bologna and Irritec, were recently presented.

Experimental data shows that, unlike network water, the nutrients already present in purifed water, necessary for plant growth, allow for a reduced use of fertilisers.

All these projects, inspired by innovation, represent the integrated approach with which the Hera Group is successfully tackling the challenges of protecting our blue gold, a resource that has always been indispensable to our planet.

The Hera Group’s remote control centre in Forlì

The book presents numerous, well-argued and documented refections illustrating the value of the Space Economy as the new frontier for development. 61 years have elapsed since the frst human fight into Earth’s orbit, and all the projects that followed have created huge value and benefts for humankind. Being primarily government funded, the conquest of space has led some states to prevail over others in the geopolitical scenario in terms of strategic, economic, and defence superiority or prestige. However, for a few decades now the advent of private investors and the capital they deployed has changed the balance of power making government institutions no longer the solo protagonists of the sector. Astro-diplomacy could soon make the current implications of traditional geopolitics short-lived and eventually irrelevant. Private actors have become space players and, in some sectors, they're holding an undisputed monopoly and dictate the rules, and this is not a fgment of the imagination. Elon Musk, for one, has disrupted the global balance of power by funding his company's free Internet service to Ukraine which is currently fghting against the invading Russian army. To understand why space has become the new frontier of economic development, one of the few remaining strategic assets besides the supply of energy sources or raw materials, military control, environmental protection, and climate change monitoring, we need to recognize the role played by the deployment of non-terrestrial capabilities: space technologies are a key asset to make decisions on many critical felds of our coexistence in this terrestrial space and beyond.

Conquering the Moon with robotic bases or even human habitat structures, as well as undertaking interplanetary journeys, require massive public and private investments to fnance launches, robotics,

Special Book Review: “The economic developmenT of space: a rapidly evolving indusTry”

by Giuseppina Pulcrano

space economy. The new frontier for development, by simonetta di pippo, Bocconi university press, 2022

Book card Title: Space Economy. The New Frontier for Development author: Simonetta Di Pippo published by: Bocconi University Press anno edizione: 2022 price: EUR 21,85

communication, and navigation systems for human settlements and research work in extreme environments. Tourists, scientists, and entrepreneurs approach space as if it were Columbus' new America, for better or worse. Today, as was the case many centuries ago, it will be private parties and their visionary intuitions that will make a diference. In her latest work, "Space Economy, The New Frontier for Development” (Bocconi University Press, 2022), Simonetta Di Pippo makes use of her 30-year-long international experience to lead us straight into the core of an industry that produces wealth and has a profound impact on international political relations.

There is still much to be done in this emerging feld that has provided humankind with a wealth of knowledge that is mature enough to be managed and guided. "Space Economy, the New Frontier for Development" is key to understanding the way space, a feld valued at about 469 bn dollars, will be evolving in the very near future.

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