The president of the Aerospace Technology District (DTA) Giuseppe Acierno, representing the members, the Region of Puglia and the Aeroporti di Puglia company, was on a mission to New Mexico to verify new business models and scientific and technological collaborations, in order to strengthen the opportunities for interaction and growth of the Apulian system. New Mexico is famous for hosting the Manhattand Project during World War II, and has since become one of the most aerospace-oriented areas in the United States of America. Today, it is the place where Virgin Galactic is planning the first-ever commercial space tourism service, starting from Space Port America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport located in the town of Truth or Consequences.
The United States Space Force America through its consortium of universities is interested in research and development in five specific areas (X geo and space domain awareness; in space operations; advanced space powers and propulsion; advance remote sensing; cyber mission assurance). For Acierno, it was an extraordinary opportunity to get to know their business and operating model, and in agreement with the Apulia Region and the Aeroporti di Puglia company, he was able to propose and evaluate forms of collaboration, which will be the subject of further discussion and in-depth analysis, between the New Mexico spaceport and the one being planned in Grottaglie The mission arose from a personal relationship between the president of Dta and a professor from the University of New Mexico who was hosted by Acierno during the summer. Before leaving, the DTA president met with the chancellors of Unisalento and the Politecnico di Bari as well as with the DTA board member representing the University of Bari. They all declared their willingness and interest in verifying the possibility of: student exchanges; joint doctorates; joint research, degree courses and teaching activities. White sand Test facility Nasa and Space Grant Nasa have shown interest in developing doctorates in collaboration with Unisalento, Poliba and Uniba and in offering services to local businesses.
The State of New Mexico, in addition to the spaceport, is home to three Air Force bases and four aerospace test facilities: The New Mexico State University (NMSU) physical sciences laboratory; the NMSU and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unmanned aircraft systems flight test site; and the NASA White Sands test facility.
‘There are many similarities between the State of New Mexico and the Region of Apulia,’ Giuseppe Acierno points out. ‘Both are areas that have focused on aerospace to increase their competitiveness, innovation rate and business and job opportunities. The New Mexico system has many initiatives whose vision is very similar to the one that has led us to plan and create our system over the past 15 years,’ adds the Dta president.’ For Acierno, ‘particularly significant was the visit to Nasa’s White Sand Test Facility, which plays a key role in the US space programme and space technology by conducting tests on materials and components required in today’s innovative spacecraft and promoting the use of rocket engines using non-toxic fuels.
During the visit, much space was devoted to an initial comparison between the European Space Agency’s BIC (Business Incubation Centre) managed by DTA in Brindisi (the only one in southern Italy) and the Arrowhead Center incubator (affiliated with New Mexico State University) specialised in Space, Agriculture and Clean Energy, bringing out some proposals and actions aimed at making its experts mutually available.
Equally relevant is the interaction with NMSU and the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Test Site, which hosts one of seven UAS (remotely piloted aircraft systems) test sites approved by the FAA to support the integration of unmanned systems into the United States’ national airspace system and specialises in unmanned systems flight testing for all classes of UAS. ‘It is a site equivalent to the Test bed located at Grottaglie Airport, built and operated by the District as the only national research infrastructure dedicated to the development of drone-related airspace management platforms, services and systems,’ recalls Acierno.
‘It is very stimulating and motivating to find interest, attention and I would say strong appreciation for what Puglia today represents and is able to offer on the global aerospace scene. It is a system that has been built over 15 years with a vision and a programme that has been very clear from the start and that today allows us to sit at the table of international collaborations with a role, a proactive capacity, and above all initiatives that strengthen Puglia and its aerospace system,’ concludes the chairman of Dta.
