Abstract: The present invention relates to a release system (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), that includes a segmented structural element (10) comprising: a first segment (10a) designed to be coupled to a first structure, a second segment (10b) designed to be coupled to a second structure, and a solder joint (11) joining respective ends of said first (10a) and second (10b) segments, thus holding down the first and second structures with respect to one another; wherein said solder joint (11) is electromagnetically heatable and includes a solder alloy having a predefined melting temperature.

Abstract: A hybrid processor system for use on board a telecommunications multi-beam satellite is provided that is controllable by a network control centre via one or more control channels. The system links to ground terminals by: providing uplink and downlink traffic channels on several satellite beams; routing atomic switched information blocks from the uplink traffic channels to the downlink traffic channels; and exchanging signaling data with the ground terminals on one or more uplink signaling channels and one or more downlink signaling channels. The atomic switched information blocks have the same given time duration and the same given baseband bandwidth.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a double-reflector antenna (1) for use on board a satellite or space platform for data downlink or for telemetry, tracking and command. Said double-reflector antenna (1) comprises a main reflector (11) and a sub-reflector (12) arranged coaxially with, and in front of, one another. Additionally, the double-reflector antenna (1) further comprises a coaxial feeder, that is arranged coaxially with the main reflector (11) and the sub-reflector (12), and that includes inner (14) and outer (13) conductors arranged coaxially with, and spaced apart from, one another. The coaxial feeder is designed to be fed with downlink microwave signals to be transmitted by the double-reflector antenna (1), and to radiate said downlink microwave signals through a feed aperture (15), that is located centrally with respect to the main reflector (11) and that gives onto the sub-reflector (12).

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for managing aeronautical safety-critical services or data links, comprising: receiving quality measurement data indicative of a quality parameter measured for an aeronautical safety-critical service or data link used by an aircraft; receiving a four-dimensional position associated with the quality measurement data, wherein said four-dimensional position includes a three-dimensional space position and a corresponding time that are computed based on a Global Navigation Satellite System and related to the measured quality parameter; tagging the quality measurement data with the associated four-dimensional position; determining, on the basis of the tagged quality measurement data and of a predefined task policy, a task to be performed, which task includes an adaptation of the aeronautical safety-critical service used by the aircraft or of resources allocated to the aeronautical safety-critical data link used by the aircraft, wherein said adaptation is based on said tagged quality mea

Abstract: A non-porous composite is provided that includes a textile substrate impregnated with a first fluoropolymer and a film of polymeric material comprising at least one second fluoropolymer filled with porous particles of a silicate having a granulometric dimension d50 less than or equal to 5 ?m and a porosity ranging from 30 to 60% in volume and loaded with antibacterial ions of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, zinc and nickel. A method for production of the composite and a containing and/or transport element for a fluid, preferably water, produced with the composite, are also provided.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for reducing the costs of a satellite remote sensing service. The method comprises providing a satellite remote sensing system that includes only one satellite equipped with a sensor configured to acquire images of areas of the earth's surface, the satellite remote sensing system being designed to provide a satellite remote sensing service based on the images acquired by the sensor on board the satellite. In particular, the satellite follows a predefined orbit around the earth with an orbit repeat cycle shorter than three days, whereby a satellite remote sensing service with very good time performance, excellent interferometric capabilities and with drastically reduced costs is obtained.

Abstract: The present invention regards a method of operation of a real aperture radar system for surveillance of the Earth's surface, said real aperture radar system being installed on a space vehicle/platform that moves in a direction of flight and comprising a transceiving antenna, or a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, which is/are electronically steerable. All the radar pulses are transmitted: with a predefined pulse repetition frequency and a predefined timing of the scanning cycle such that to guarantee a complete coverage of each of the N swaths parallelly to the direction of flight; and by using a frequency agility technique.

Abstract: A SAR imaging method is provided that performs N SAR acquisitions in stripmap mode of areas of the earth's surface by means of a synthetic aperture radar transported by an aerial or satellite platform and which includes a single, non-partitioned antenna and a single receiver coupled to the single, non-partitioned antenna, N being an integer greater than one. Each SAR acquisition in stripmap mode is performed using a respective squint angle with respect to the flight direction of the synthetic aperture radar and a respective elevation angle with respect to the nadir of the synthetic aperture radar. The method may further generate SAR images of areas of the respective swath observed via the SAR acquisition in stripmap mode. All SAR images have the same azimuth resolution that is equal to half the physical or equivalent length along the azimuth direction of the single, non-partitioned antenna of the synthetic aperture radar.

Abstract: A SAR imaging method performs N SAR acquisitions in stripmap mode of the earth's surface using a synthetic aperture radar transported by an aerial or satellite platform and including a single, non-partitioned antenna and a single receiver coupled thereto. All N SAR acquisitions are performed using the same predetermined elevation angle relative to the nadir of the synthetic aperture radar and using a respective squint angle relative to the flight direction of the synthetic aperture radar. Radar transmission and reception operations are time interleaved with other N-1 SAR acquisitions, resulting in the respective acquisition directions being parallel to each other and not parallel to acquisition directions of other N-1 SAR acquisitions. Radar beams in two immediately successive time instants and related to two different SAR acquisitions are contiguous along the azimuth. SAR images may be generated using all the N SAR acquisitions having an enhanced azimuth resolution.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for making a microsatellite, comprising providing: modules of a first type configured to house electronic boards of a microsatellite; modules of a second type configured to house devices and systems of a microsatellite; and modules of a third type comprising first and second interface means configured to be coupled to a launch vehicle and to external appendages of a microsatellite, respectively; said modules of a third type being designed to cause a body of a microsatellite to have a predefined height; wherein all the modules of the first, second and third types are configured to be stacked regardless of the type. The method further comprises making a body of a microsatellite by stacking modules of different types, wherein the stacked modules include at least one module of the second type and at least one module of the third type.

Abstract: Space system comprising a structure formed by structure components, an on-board equipment carried by the structure, and a passive device designed to facilitate demise of the space system during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. The passive device comprises connecting members designed to stably connect the structure components. The connecting members comprise at least a portion made of a primer material with characteristics such as to decay at re-entry altitudes higher than those at which the current connecting members melt so as to make unstable the connection created by the connecting members to such an extent as to early triggering demise of the structure of the space system during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

Abstract: The present invention relates to attitude control and, in particular, to control of the attitude of a space platform. The space platform may take the form of or be part of a satellite and/or a spacecraft. An aspect of the present invention concerns the use, in an attitude control system, of several control moment gyroscopes with limited gimbal revolutions. Another aspect of the present invention concerns an improved logic for controlling a control moment gyroscope assembly of an attitude control system.

Abstract: A large deployable reflector for an antenna suitable for being installed on board a satellite and provided with a support structure, a parabolic mirror carried by the support structure and a connection arm for mounting the support structure on the satellite; the support structure being a jointed reticulate structure that is able to assume a compact inoperative stowed configuration and an operative deployed configuration and is composed of ‘n’ elements articulated to form tetrahedrons having respective triangular bases, which are connected to each other at the axial ends of respective first sides and have respective external vertices, which are opposite to said respective first sides and, when the reflector is arranged in the deployed configuration, ideally lie on a cone tangent to the parabolic mirror.

Abstract: A SAR imaging method is provided that performs N SAR acquisitions in stripmap mode of areas of the earth's surface by means of a synthetic aperture radar transported by an aerial or satellite platform and which includes a single, non-partitioned antenna and a single receiver coupled to the single, non-partitioned antenna, N being an integer greater than one. Each SAR acquisition in stripmap mode is performed using a respective squint angle with respect to the flight direction of the synthetic aperture radar and a respective elevation angle with respect to the nadir of the synthetic aperture radar. The method may further generate SAR images of areas of the respective swath observed via the SAR acquisition in stripmap mode. All SAR images have the same azimuth resolution that is equal to half the physical or equivalent length along the azimuth direction of the single, non-partitioned antenna of the synthetic aperture radar.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for reducing the costs of a satellite remote sensing service. The method comprises providing a satellite remote sensing system that includes only one satellite equipped with a sensor configured to acquire images of areas of the earth's surface, the satellite remote sensing system being designed to provide a satellite remote sensing service based on the images acquired by the sensor on board the satellite. In particular, the satellite follows a predefined orbit around the earth with an orbit repeat cycle shorter than three days, whereby a satellite remote sensing service with very good time performance, excellent interferometric capabilities and with drastically reduced costs is obtained.

Abstract: A projective optical metrology system including a first optical unit, which includes: an optical input that receives a first light signal; a number of optical paths; and a separator, which is optically interposed between the optical input and the optical paths and separates a number of components of the first light signal received by the optical input and couples each of the separate components to a corresponding optical path. The first optical unit also includes a light target, which emits a second light signal and is formed by a number of light elements, each light element being optically coupled to a corresponding optical path, so as to be illuminated, in use, by the component of the first light signal coupled to the corresponding optical path. The metrology system also includes a second optical unit, which generates the first light signal and receives the second light signal.

Abstract: A projective optical metrology system including a first optical unit, which includes: an optical input that receives a first light signal; a number of optical paths; and a separator, which is optically interposed between the optical input and the optical paths and separates a number of components of the first light signal received by the optical input and couples each of the separate components to a corresponding optical path. The first optical unit also includes a light target, which emits a second light signal and is formed by a number of light elements, each light element being optically coupled to a corresponding optical path, so as to be illuminated, in use, by the component of the first light signal coupled to the corresponding optical path. The metrology system also includes a second optical unit, which generates the first light signal and receives the second light signal.

Abstract: A large deployable reflector for an antenna suitable for being installed on board a satellite and provided with a support structure, a parabolic mirror carried by the support structure and a connection arm for mounting the support structure on the satellite; the support structure being a jointed reticulate structure that is able to assume a compact inoperative stowed configuration and an operative deployed configuration and is composed of ‘n’ elements articulated to form tetrahedrons having respective triangular bases, which are connected to each other at the axial ends of respective first sides and have respective external vertices, which are opposite to said respective first sides and, when the reflector is arranged in the deployed configuration, ideally lie on a cone tangent to the parabolic mirror.

Abstract: The present invention regards an antenna system comprising a reflection system that comprises a reflector having a rotational symmetry with respect to an axis of symmetry. Moreover, the antenna system also comprises an electronically steerable planar radiating array that is arranged in a focal region of the reflection system, has a rotational symmetry with respect to the axis of symmetry and is operable to radiate a primary radiofrequency beam oriented in a predefined direction of illumination with respect to the axis of symmetry in such a way as to cause a specific region of the reflector to be illuminated by said primary radiofrequency beam. Said specific region of the reflector is designed, when illuminated by said primary radiofrequency beam, to generate by reflection a secondary radiofrequency beam oriented in at least one predefined direction of transmission with respect to the axis of symmetry.

Abstract: The present invention regards a method of operation of a real aperture radar system for surveillance of the Earth's surface, said real aperture radar system being installed on a space vehicle/platform that moves in a direction of flight and comprising a transceiving antenna, or a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, which is/are electronically steerable.