One of the most valuable pieces of Italian space engineering departed from the Cape Canaveral base in Florida at 0:11 am Italian time on February 1st: the new second generation Cosmo-SkyMed satellite. A Falcon 9, a partially reusable SpaceX rocket, has brought the satellite, over 2200 kilos of mass, into orbit, which, for some time, will join the other 5 already operational, which constitute a constellation for Earth observation with technologies radar, the only one of its kind and, it is worth saying, very popular also at an international level.
It is financed by the Italian Space Agency, ASI, with funds from the Ministry of University and Research and the Ministry of Defense, since it is a dual-use satellite for civil and military uses. This is an unusual method, especially for us, but which has proved to be successful in carrying out and managing this complex operation in which the Italian industry in the sector has really given its best, with the two Leonardo joint ventures, Thales Alenia Space. and Telespazio, but also with the help of many SMEs that strengthen the national space sector.
A perfect but painful start, on the fifth attempt: for three days the adverse weather prevented the start and the fourth time, when everything seemed to be going well, just 33 seconds from the start the countdown was blocked. Unbelievable to say, but a passenger ship per cruise was reported at the last moment as it was traveling quietly off the coast of Florida in the red zone, the one where, as a precaution, there must be nothing and nobody during launch. Finally on the fifth day, and fifth attempt, everything went smoothly and now the satellite complex can start working.
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%, is in charge of the Second Generation COSMO-SkyMed program: design and development of satellites and design, integration and commissioning of the end-to-end system, period, the latter, which deals with Telespazio, in turn a joint venture between Leonardo 67% and Thales 33%, for the fundamental land segment. It will be from Fucino, Telespazio’s historical base, that the first phases of the launch will be handled until the launch into orbit.
At this point we have around the Earth 6 of these satellites, 4 of the old generation, launched between 2007 and 2010, and two, with this, of a new and more performing generation: in the near future the “old” ones will be deorbited as they the other two of the new generation will be placed in orbit. A space relay that allows us to always have the best available.