Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
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| Consist | since January 1, 1988 | ||
| Headquarters | Rome | ||
| Website | asi.it | ||
The Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) (German: "Italian Space Agency") is the Italian space agency based in Rome . It was founded in 1988 and is subordinate to the Italian Ministry of Education, Research and Technology.
tasks and goals
The agency promotes and coordinates all space activities in Italy . She is responsible for the implementation of the Italian space policy and creates the "National Space Program" in accordance with the political guidelines. The aim is to support research and space technology, especially in the areas of telecommunications, civil protection, defense, environmental protection and the use of raw materials. This work is intended to make a contribution to improving the quality of life, security and economic foundations.
The ASI is not just a planning and coordination authority. It has its own research and development facilities at various locations. There is close cooperation in this area with universities , the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche ( National Research Council ) and numerous industrial companies. If Italy participates in international space programs, the agency awards contracts for the construction of components and systems, either directly or on behalf of international bodies, which it then also provides support and advice. The most important Italian manufacturers of space systems today almost all belong to the technology company Leonardo . Thales Alenia Space plays an important role .
Projects
The ASI is working very closely with the ESA , together, was involved in its creation Italy 1975th There are also close relationships with NASA and other space agencies. The ASI is a full member of the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS).
The Agenzia Spaziale Italiana u. a. on the Ariane rocket, on the International Space Station (including logistics modules Leonardo , Raffaello , Donatello , Sky Polarization Observatory , Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer ), on the SAR-X program (with NASA and DLR ), on the ERS satellite program, on the Olympus and Artemis satellites , in the Venus Express and Mars Express projects, in the Aurora robotic project , as well as in the Cassini-Huygens project (for which Italy supplied the high-performance antenna) and in the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission to survey the earth's surface.
There are bilateral projects mainly with NASA, but z. B. also in the context of the Russian Italian Mission-RIM .
In the national area, ASI u. a. the satellites Sirio , Italsat , SICRAL 1 , Mita , Beppo-SAX , AGILE and LARES . Several other ESA members also participated in the development of the Vega light launcher . The rocket was offered to ESA and has been in use since 2012.
history
The history of the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana does not coincide with the entire history of Italian space travel, which began in the late 1950s with the development of the "San Marco" type research satellites. These five satellites were launched into space from 1964 onwards from Wallops Island , USA and from the Italian rocket launch site Malindi ( San Marco platform ) in Kenya . At the time, Italy was the first European country (and the third in the world after the USA and the Soviet Union ) to deploy a satellite in space. In 1977 it was the turn of the telecommunications satellite "Sirio" (12-18 GHz), which was built by Italian companies on behalf of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (responsible for coordinating space travel at the time). The increasing activities in this area and the collaboration with the European space agencies ELDO, ESRA and then ESA led to the establishment of the ASI in 1988, which gave the Italian space activities a more appropriate organizational and legal framework.
In 1992, Franco Malerba was the first Italian astronaut to fly into space on an American space shuttle . He was followed by Umberto Guidoni (who later became the first European to work in the ISS) and in 1996 Maurizio Cheli . Roberto Vittori and Luca Parmitano reached the ISS twice from the Russian spaceport Baikonur with Soyuz rockets , the last time in 2019. Parmitano was the first Italian ISS commander.
In 2006, Paolo Nespoli was selected as a mission specialist for the STS-120 space shuttle mission , which brought the Harmony module, built in Italy, to the international space station at the end of October 2007 .
Web links
- ASI website (Italian, English)