Abstract: The invention concerns a monitoring method that comprises coupling in an integral manner at least one electromagnetic mirror of passive type with a given target to be monitored and monitoring the given target; wherein monitoring the given target includes: acquiring, via one or more synthetic aperture radar(s) installed on board one or more satellites and/or one or more aerial platforms, SAR images of a given area of the earth's surface where the given target is located; and determining, via a processing unit, a movement of the electromagnetic mirror on the basis of the acquired SAR images.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for performing SAR acquisitions, which comprises performing SAR acquisitions in Spotlight/Stripmap mode of areas/swaths of earth's surface by means of a SAR system carried by an air or space platform along a flight direction, whereby: an azimuth direction is defined by a ground track of the flight direction on the earth's surface, a nadir direction is defined that is orthogonal to the earth's surface, to the flight direction and to the azimuth direction, an across-track direction is defined that lies on the earth's surface and is orthogonal to the azimuth direction and to the nadir direction, and, for each acquired area/swath of the earth's surface, a respective range direction is defined that extends from the synthetic aperture radar system to said acquired area/swath.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a localization method for locating a target that is coupled with a locator transponder associated with a permanent identification code permanently assigned to said locator transponder; the localization method comprising: upon reception of a user request for locating the target, transmitting, by a paging system or by a radar-based system, a spread spectrum paging signal carrying the permanent identification code and a temporary identification code temporarily assigned to the locator transponder, wherein said temporary identification code is shorter than said permanent identification code; receiving, by the locator transponder, the spread spectrum paging signal and extracting, by said locator transponder, the temporary identification code carried by said spread spectrum paging signal received; transmitting, by the radar-based system, radar signals towards one or more areas of earth's surface or sky, and receiving, by said radar-based system, echo signals from said one or more area

Abstract: The invention relates to a microwave circular polarizer including: a first outer conductor; a second outer conductor connected to the first outer conductor forming a first step discontinuity therewith; and a third outer conductor connected to the second outer conductor forming a second step discontinuity therewith. An inner conductor is provided which extends inside and is spaced apart from the first, second and third outer conductors. The first and second outer conductors are axially asymmetric with respect to the inner conductor, and the third outer conductor is axially symmetric with respect to the inner conductor. The microwave circular polarizer includes first and second rectangular waveguide ports in signal communication with an internal cavity through, respectively, a first rectangular aperture and a second rectangular aperture formed through the first outer conductor. The microwave circular polarizer further includes a first septum and a second septum.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for performing SAR acquisitions, which comprises performing, in a time division fashion, SAR acquisitions of areas of a swath of earth's surface by means of a SAR system carried by an air or space platform; wherein performing SAR acquisitions in a time division fashion includes contemporaneously acquiring, in each pulse repetition interval, a plurality of areas of the swath that are separated in azimuth; and wherein the areas acquired in T successive pulse repetition intervals form an azimuth-continuous portion of said swath, T being an integer greater than one.

Abstract: A supporting frame for aerospace applications comprises a plurality of rods, which are arranged along two bases substantially parallel and opposite each other, and along two sides, which are substantially parallel and opposite to each other and are coupled to each other via the two bases; the rods are coupled to each other in a mutually rotating manner by nodes so as to be able to configure the supporting frame between a deployed operating condition and a compacted operating condition; the nodes are spaced apart from one another in the deployed operating condition and are each hinged to at least two of the rods; in the compacted operating condition, each of the nodes is placed side by side with two adjacent nodes so as to form, together, two supporting members arranged at opposite longitudinal ends of the supporting frame and each being ring-shaped.

Abstract: A SAR imaging method for interferometric analyses is provided, including: receiving raw SAR data related to two or more SAR acquisitions of one and the same area of the earth's surface carried out by one or more synthetic aperture radars; and processing the raw SAR data to generate SAR images. For each SAR acquisition, the respective raw SAR data is processed based on two different sets of processing parameters: a first set that is the same for all the SAR acquisitions and which comprises focusing Doppler parameters computed based on physical Doppler parameters related to all the SAR acquisitions; and a second set which comprises respective radiometric equalization Doppler parameters related to the SAR acquisition and computed based on respective physical Doppler parameters related to the SAR acquisition.

Abstract: A localization method for locating a target that is coupled with a locator transponder associated with a permanent identification code permanently assigned to the locator transponder is provided.

Abstract: A surface bio-contamination assay kit (1) comprising a disposable swab cartridge (2) comprising a swab (29); a sampler (3) designed to removably receive the cartridge (2) and to wipe the cartridge swab (29) on a surface to be collect a sampled, along a predetermined sampling path (4) designed to cover a predetermined surface area; and a bio-contamination meter (5) designed to removably receive the cartridge (2) after sampling and to measure bio-contamination of the collected sample on the cartridge (2).

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: A computer-aided FEM-based structure design system is provided that operates to: acquire an initial structure design configuration comprising: a design domain (?), an applied load (f), and constrained, unconstrained and loaded areas (?D, ?F, ?N); compute an initial mesh (Th0) of the design domain (?); compute a topologically optimized structure model by iterating, until a termination criterion is fulfilled: computing an optimized structure topology by properly implementing the SIMP (Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization) algorithm based on a density function (?) that represents the distribution of the material in the structure; computing an anisotropic recovery-based a posteriori error estimator (?) that quantifies the error between the gradient of the exact structure material density (?) and the gradient of the FEM-computed approximation thereof, computing a metric (Mk+1) for anisotropic mesh adaptation based on the anisotropic recovery-based a posteriori error estimator (?), and computing an ada

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: The invention concerns a satellite deployment system (30) for launch vehicles. Said satellite deployment system (30) comprises an outer dispenser (31) that is fitted, externally, with first releasable attachment means for releasably attaching first satellites (81) to said outer dispenser (31) and, internally, with an internal housing volume (310). Moreover, the satellite deployment system (30) further comprises at least an inner dispenser (32,33) that is externally fitted with second releasable attachment means for releasably attaching second satellites (82,83) to said inner dispenser (32,33), and that is accommodated in the internal housing volume (310) of the outer dispenser (31).

Abstract: A Reference Time Scale Dissemination System (RTS-DS) is provided that includes a RTS Dissemination Data Provider (RTS-DDP) and a User Terminal. The RTS Dissemination Data Provider is equipped with a radio receiver designed to receive radio signals and to compute a RTS-DDP Computed Time Scale based on received radio signals. The User Terminal (UT) is equipped with a Radio Receiver designed to receive radio signals and to compute a UT Computed Time Scale based on received radio signals, and with a Clock Device designed to be locked to the UT Computed Time Scale and to provide a UT Local Time Scale resultingly locked to the UT Computed Time Scale.

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: 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: The invention concerns a microwave antenna module for use in an antenna system installed on board a space platform. The disclosed microwave antenna module includes a transmit/receive module, which comprises: a first package and a second package, that are hermetically sealed to one another and that are multilayer ceramic substrate packages; and an interposer connector, that is interposed between the first and second packages and comprises a body and connection means provided in the body. First and second electronic circuitries are connected to the connection means of the interposer connector for routing microwave, control and power signals through the connection means. The first electronic circuitry includes a directional coupler in stripline-coplanar configuration.

Abstract: The invention relates to a microwave circular polarizer including: a first outer conductor; a second outer conductor connected to the first outer conductor forming a first step discontinuity therewith; and a third outer conductor connected to the second outer conductor forming a second step discontinuity therewith. An inner conductor is provided which extends inside and is spaced apart from the first, second and third outer conductors. The first and second outer conductors are axially asymmetric with respect to the inner conductor, and the third outer conductor is axially symmetric with respect to the inner conductor. The microwave circular polarizer includes first and second rectangular waveguide ports in signal communication with an internal cavity through, respectively, a first rectangular aperture and a second rectangular aperture formed through the first outer conductor. The microwave circular polarizer further includes a first septum and a second septum.

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 invention relates to an interconnection network for forward error correction encoders and decoders, including N input terminals, N output terminals, and M stages. Each stage includes switching elements having input pins and output pins. The input pins of the switching elements of the first stage are connected to the input terminals, and the output pins of the switching elements of the last stage are connected to the output terminals. The input and output pins of the switching elements of immediately successive stages are connected in a hardwired fashion so as to form a plurality of interconnection sub-networks for routing respective input values from respective output pins of the switching elements of the first stage to respective input pins of the switching elements of the last stage.