A.S.I. - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana - The road to Space goes through Italy.

During 2007 ASI has continued developing projects relative to technologies and devices of telecommunications at very high frequency bands (Q/V, W, optic) indispensable for future broad band systems. These projects are focused mainly on Q/V and W bands.

Q/V Line
Development activities (B, C/D and E phases) of the Q/V band mission have been transferred to ESA to provide for the embarkation of the ESA mission AlphaSat.
Nevertheless the development of the ground stations is under ASI’s complete authority.

W Line
ASI is working on the WAVE project (W-band Analysis and VErification) whose objective is to design and develop a payload in W band. The project is in the 10-month long A2 Phase during which time the definition and design of the experiment flight system on the stratospheric Geophysica airplane (mission Aero-WAVE) will be ongoing.
In addition a mission on an experimental platform dedicated to low orbit (IKNOW mission) and a subsequent pre-operational mission and preliminary design of relative systems will be defined. The activities foreseen include:

• Definition of the stratospheric airplane mission (Aero-WAVE)
• Definition of the low-orbit experimental mission (IKNOW)
• System study
• Detailed definition of the W band payload including the embarkation study
• Study of the ground stations (fixed and mobile) for the various lines of foresee missions
• Definition of mission costs.