Telespazio secures contract for Italy’s satellite navigation center

Photo: Telespazio

Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo and Thales, has been selected by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to lead the creation of the “National GNSS Competence Centre” in Italy. As the primary contractor, Telespazio will head a team composed of Italian universities, research centers, and industrial companies to establish this new center, which will be headquartered at Telespazio’s offices in Rome.

The center’s primary goal is to develop a laboratory network that utilizes resources distributed throughout Italy to advance capabilities, solutions, and technologies in satellite navigation. The project team includes notable institutions such as the National Institute of Metrology Research (INRiM), the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA), Qascom and the National Inter-University Consortium for Telecommunications (CNIT), along with research units from the University of Pisa, the Polytechnic of Turin, the University of Padua and the University of Roma Tre.

The center will focus on creating new software tools for monitoring GNSS service performance and testing receivers. A cloud-based collaborative platform will be implemented to facilitate shared software development among all project participants. Additionally, the center seeks to expand its network by involving other academic and industrial partners while establishing itself as a national hub for satellite navigation expertise through workshops and training courses.

Telespazio will focus on developing precise, resilient, and robust navigation systems, particularly for emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles in the aviation, rail, and automotive industries.

Telespazio operates one of two Galileo control centers at its Fucino Space Centre.