Agreement between Italian Air Force and Virgin Galactic
The first contract between the Italian Embassy in Washington was signed todayItalian Air Force , Virgin Galactic for the purchase of a suborbital scientific research flight.
The flight will depart from Spaceport from New Mexico in the US in December of the 2020. The agreement was signed - in the presence of the embassy charge d'affaires, Minister Maurizio Greganti - for the Air Force by the Air Division General and Defense Officer for Defense Cooperation Stefano Cont, and for the Virgin Galatic the president Mike Moses. For the US Administration he was present, David Turne, Deputy Director of the State Departments of the Office of Space and Advanced Technology '. Doctors and researchers will be on board the space flight to conduct scientific experiments.
The contract marks the first time a government has funded a human-based research flight on a commercial spacecraft. The mission, which will take place as early as 2020, will fly three Italian payload specialists and a research payload rack. Italian Air Force payload specialists and Virgin Galactic's payload team are collaborating with the Italian National Research Center (CNR) on the design of experimental payloads.
The system SpaceShipTwo by Virgin Galactic it is designed to fly both humans and payloads into space for tourism and research purposes. The airline offers an end-to-end solution for payload flights that includes the use of the SpaceShipTwo and its transport aircraft, along with the hardware, processes and facilities required for a successful campaign. Virgin Galactic's platform offers reliable and affordable access to the upper atmosphere and space that can accommodate even large search payloads. The company has already transported payloads into space through the "NASA's Flight Opportunities Program".
Human-oriented research aboard SpaceShipTwo allows a dynamic approach to space science with researchers able to actively engage with their experiments, respond to developments in real time, optimizing its effectiveness. Virgin Galactic will be able to provide benefits to the research community at levels of repeatability, affordability and quality of the micro-gravity condition not available in conventional human spaceflight.
During space flight, following the rocket engine shut down, the researchers will drop off their seats and take the necessary actions to complete each experiment for a few minutes of zero gravity. The company will provide training and preparation to the researchers so that they are ready to do their job as mission specialists on these types of flights and will provide on-site pre-flight support for each of the experiments.
The payload will include medical equipment that will measure the biological effects of the transition phase from gravity to micro-gravity on the human body. Other test equipment can be used to help develop a new understanding of green fuel chemistry.
Suborbital flight is destined to revolutionize air transport and access to space. In fact, the technological thrust behind the transformation of airplanes to open airplanes will naturally lead to future generation transport ("point-to-point") by providing high-altitude platforms for access to space and launch services.
According to a study carried out by the Italian Air Force, Italy has the ideal geographical and climatic conditions for suborbital flight; has numerous airports that can be transformed into spaceports; has tradition and expertise in the field of aerospace medical research, essential for the safe conduct of high-altitude operations.
Small spacesplans, which in part will collect the legacy of the space shuttle, after a first phase of experimentation and research, will be used for space tourism purposes, without precluding other employment opportunities, such as passenger transport, material and low orbit small satellites.
In the long term, therefore, Italy could aspire to be the future leader in the sector in Europe and in the world.