The Italian microsatellite LICIACube was awarded the prestigious international award, Mission of the Year, promoted by the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), during the Small Satellite Conference at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. The only representative for Italy, LICIACube was competing against eight other finalists. The final decision was the result of a global online survey and evaluation by the AIAA Small Satellite Technical Committee. LICIACube is a 6U microsatellite weighing 15 kg and measuring 30x20x10 cm. It features two lightweight solar arrays, an integrated propulsion system with 50mN thrusters and 40-second ISP, two cameras, an X-band communications system, and an advanced on-board computer.
The Italian microsatellite contributed to humanity’s first active Planetary Defense mission, successfully implemented by NASA’s DART probe which, on 26 September 2022 at a distance of 11 million km from the Earth, impacted the asteroid Dimorphos, the smaller than the double Didymos system, in order to test the kinetic impact technique to deflect the trajectory of a celestial body. LICIACube was launched and traveled integrated on DART up to 15 days before impact, when it was separated, activated and began to operate autonomously. After an orbital correction and navigation phase led by the mission team at the Mission Control Center in Argotec, it made the flyby at a distance of 57 km from the asteroid hit by DART and at a speed of almost 7 km per second, observing the effects of the impact mainly in terms of debris thrown up.
The more than 600 images acquired also proved to be crucial for other aspects such as the reconstruction of the shape of the asteroid, allowing the scientific teams, in the following months, to understand important characteristics on the nature of the small celestial body. LICIACube has achieved full success and achieved several firsts. It was in fact the first time that a small satellite had attempted such a mission in Deep Space, performing a very accurate fly by of a minor body such as an asteroid. Furthermore, it is the first Italian satellite to operate beyond orbits around the Earth, and the third internationally after JPL’s MarCOs.
The flawless operation and management of the satellite are thanks to the combination of the Italian Space Agency and Argotec. The project saw the collaboration of a large network of institutions, including INAF, the Milan Polytechnic, the University of Bologna, the University of Naples “Parthenope” and the CNR-IFAC “Nello Carrara”. “The LICIACube award is a great result for the large mission team and also for the entire national space community – says Teodoro Valente, President of ASI – Our satellite contributed to the first Planetary Defense mission in history, with spectacular images and crucial for subsequent analyses, both in confirming the success of DART and for scientific investigations. This recognition can only consolidate the role of Italy and ASI as a reliable actor and partner in the many Exploration initiatives that often see us as protagonists, as in this case”
“LICIACube is the result of Argotec’s extraordinary expertise and experience” – said David Avino, CEO and founder of the company- “With LICIACube, we have once again demonstrated the reliability, technological excellence and incredible performance of our platform We are already working on several projects and missions – in Italy and in the United States – to continue contributing our experience and know-how not only to scientific missions but also to the creation of constellations in LEO and in deep space to provide telecommunications and observations”.
