In recent weeks, at the Experimental and Interforce Training Polygon of the Salto di Quirra (PISQ), in Sardinia, the launch of a sounding rocket for the validation of the technology of a hybrid propulsion engine and avionics of a future airborne launcher took place. The activity is part of the Program called Aviolancio, led by CNR – National Research Council – aimed at developing an enabling technology for autonomous access to Space. The Italian Air Force also participates in this program, as a delegate of Defense, with the task of providing advice and technical support.
The Program is part of a framework agreement between the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the CNR and the Ministry of Defense, signed in November 2020, aimed at developing a technological demonstrator of airborne satellite launcher capable of bringing small satellites into LEO (Low Earth Orbit) orbit ). The launch, the first of the two envisaged by the program, ended successfully and demonstrated the validity of the technological solution concerning the new type of hybrid propulsion that can be effectively used for the development of a competitive capacity.
The activity represents the natural continuation of the study of excellence in the airdrop sector, finalized by the Italian Air Force in 2019 as an incipit for subsequent research and experimentation activities in this technological field. In the wake of the “Government Guidelines on space and aerospace”, the development of a micro-launcher dedicated to nano/micro satellites allows to enhance and capitalize on the advantages offered by the miniaturization of space technologies, increasingly cost-effective and therefore also accessible to research institutions, universities, as well as local institutions and authorities.
The launcher was developed and implemented by some small and medium-sized national enterprises (SMEs) which, under the coordination of the CNR, have integrated innovative technologies, confirming once again the dynamism and potential of the national technological research sector.
The support of the structures and staff of the PISQ, a national pole of excellence for the experimentation of cutting-edge technologies, which followed all the phases of the launch and recovery, guaranteeing the performance of the activity in absolute safety and in adherence to environmental protocols, was fundamental.
The success of the activity confirms the importance of a coordinated and synergistic collaboration between public bodies, research institutions, the academic world, the industrial sector and SMEs, within the consolidated national governance framework in the Space sector.
In this context, Italy can rightly count, also by virtue of a tradition of excellence in the aerospace sector, in the small group of countries able to have the skills and technologies for autonomous access to Space. In this context, also with a view to international competitiveness, it is a priority to continue developing innovative airborne launch and propulsion systems, capable of guaranteeing reliability and cost-effectiveness.
The Italian Air Force, thanks to the peculiar skills of its personnel and the natural vocation for technological innovation in the aero-space sector, represents a fundamental reference player on the national scene, for the search for ever greater competitiveness and synergy at the level of the Country System.