FARNBOROUGH: Italian space agency set to escape budget cuts unscathed

As a public body, the Italian space agency, or Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) (hall 3, stand SZA), might have expected lean times ahead as governments across Europe, including Italy, outlined austerity budgets. However, it appears that the agency's 10-year, €7 billion ($8.8 billion) development will survive largely intact.

One ASI facility that has been ring-fenced is its aerospace research centre in Capua, near Naples. The Italian government has promised to exclude the centre from recent proposed cuts to research bodies.

Enrico Saggese, the space agency's president since July 2009, says: "The current and future level of funding resources is expected to be maintained almost untouched by the recently announced government budget cuts, although a 5% funding reduction is being implemented at least for 2010."

Operating under the Italian university and research ministry, ASI is the third-largest contributor to the European Space Agency and has worked closely with NASA and other world space agencies in many of the most interesting scientific missions of recent years.

The agency is assisting with a possible manned mission to Mars via the Mars Sample Return and two-mission ExoMars programme. It will supply components for a rover to be deployed in 2018, under the management of mission control at ASI's Advanced Logistics Technology Engineering company.

Turin-based ALTEC has already provided Italy's three multipurpose logistic modules for the International Space Station, into which Italy has invested €80 million. Saggese suggests that in the future ISS operating costs should be split between all European Union countries, in proportion to gross domestic product.

Italy should have two of its own astronauts in space before the end of the year, possibly together on the ISS. Roberto Vittori will be on board the 134th and final space shuttle mission on 29 October, while Paolo Nespoli will join the seven-month Soyuz mission launching in December.

They stand alongside the two Italians recruited to join the six-strong European Astronauts Corps: Luca Parmitano and Samantha Cristoforetti, the latter being the first Italian female astronaut.

OBSERVATION

"ASI has made key contributions to the observation of the universe, especially in astrophysics and cosmology," says Saggese. International programmes in which ASI participates include NASA's gamma-ray astronomy mission, Glast, now renamed Fermi.

ASI also plans future co-operation with Russia's Roscosmos space agency on the Millimetron super telescope, providing the spectrometer for the 12m (39ft)-diameter space telescope.

Particular attention is paid to Earth observation programmes. ASI, together with Italian ministry of defence and Thales Alenia Space, is nearing completion of the Cosmo-SkyMed dual-use Earth observation satellite constellation. The fourth and final X-band SAR radar satellite will be launched in October.

"We are already working on a second-generation constellation satellite to be launched in 2014-15," says Saggese, adding that the relevant contract is to be awarded before 2011.

The result of intergovernmental co-operation between Italy and France, Cosmo-SkyMed is also part of the Italian-Argentinian satellite system for emergency management, together with two Argentinian L-band SAR satellites.

In Europe the four Cosmo-SkyMed satellites combine with two French Pleiades optical satellites to form the Orfeo Earth observation system designed for both civilian and military use.

"Italy also contributes to the ESA GMES programme, based on the Sentinel 1 C-band SAR satellite and is testing a P-band radar on board an airborne platform for under-foliage and underground observation, in response to agriculture and archaeological requirements," adds Saggese.

As for its own needs, ASI awaits an international partner for Prisma, a technology demonstrator programme using electro-optical instruments, which integrates a hyperspectral sensor and a middle-resolution panchromatic camera. Launch is expected in 2011 on board the ASI and ESA-designed Vega rocket.

"The agreement with the international partner is expected coming soon, perhaps at the Farnborough air show", reports Saggese.

Prisma is seen as a "public good" project as observations from its instruments could be integral to climate change studies. But ASI is also active in other fields, supporting Italian and French new-generation Athena Fidus military communication satellite development.

This forms the basis for the launch of Ku/Ka-band satellites, which can be provided to interested agencies and military entities. Similar provision occurred during the Sicral programme, through which Italy gained its first military satellite. Another ASI focus has been the satellite navigation segment, contributing to the ESA Galileo programme. "However, due to the constellation cost increase, we are looking to obtain additional funding resources from Italian government", says Saggese.

As alluded to above, ASI is leading Europe's small satellite launcher programme through development of the Vega rocket. Vega is intended the complement the larger Ariane launcher and will position satellites up to 1,500kg in low orbit.

Saggese says: "We currently expect to employ the first Vega launcher with a LARES satellite within the first half of 2011. We continue our efforts to improve Vega's performance by about 30%, without significant impacts on the price of the launch service, by employing a third stage based on the new oxygen-methane MIRA thrusters."