The Fastest Way to Space

In the Space market landscape, the increasing demand for advanced technologies, systems, services and applications that deliver higher performance at lower cost, is putting high pressure on all stakeholders (e.g. system integrators, supply chain, operators and service providers) that need to accelerate their innovation cycles and to reduce the time to market. This brings the need to shorten the technology development finding smart and cost-effective ways to overcome the so-called Valley of Death by means of an IOV/IOD missions

In this perspective, STRIVING introduces itself as a one-stop-shop commercial service offering to both private and public entities affordable and effective access to space for testing, validating and/or operating their innovative solutions. Sitael, the Space Mission Provider (SMP), acts as a single interface to customers, leading an industrial team composed also by IMT, Planetek and Tyvak International.

New Space Opportunities

Bringing a space technology or service from the concept to the market traditionally requires a long and expensive phase of non-recurring activities.

IODISPLay current TRL of proposed Technologies

1

5%

2

13%

3

18%

4

29%

5

18%

6

15%

7

3%

It is rather common that for lack of funds, resources and possibilities the development comes to a dead end before its completion and the idea, although potentially disruptive, does not find its way to the market.

Several technologies or services, with a relatively advanced Technology Readiness Level (TRL) especially at levels 4-5 remain stuck struggling for finding funds and opportunities for moving forward to the next TRL phase (see graph below).

Getting an affordable ticket to space in a relatively short time frame is an obvious advantage that would allow for a significant growth in the TRL status of many technologies to be afterward used in commercial and scientific space missions.

STRIVING fills the gap of the so called “valley of death” and hence to help in advance enabling, critical and non-dependent technologies.

STRIVING is the “one-shop-stop” IOD/IOV service able to overcome the most critical phases of the ground qualification process and allowing new space technologies and services to dramatically reduce their time to market.

Who is behind?

The STRIVING service infrastructure has been developed within a public-private partnership between ESA/ASI and Sitael in the frame of the ARTES PIONEER Initiative.

Sitael

SITAEL is the largest privately-owned Space Company in Italy and worldwide leader in the Small Satellites sector. With highly qualified employees and state-of-the-art facilities, SITAEL covers a wide range of activities in development of small satellite platforms, advanced propulsion systems and on board avionics, providing turn-key solutions for Earth observation, telecom and science.
Being one of the main players of the Space Economy, SITAEL is changing the way to conceive space products, both in the upstream and downstream segments, providing, thanks to its IoT capabilities, competitive smart services for a wide range of applications.
SITAEL belongs to Angel Group, an Italian holding world leader in Railway, Aerospace and Aeronautics markets.

For further information visit:

ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Slovenia is an Associate Member.
ESA has established formal cooperation with six Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.
Today, it develops and launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space. ESA also has a strong applications programme developing services in Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications.
Learn more about ESA at:

ASI

The Italian Space Agency was founded in 1988. Its purpose was to coordinate all of Italy's efforts and investments in the space sector that had begun in the 1960s.
Within over twenty years' time, ASI became one of the most significant players in the world in space science, satellite technologies and the development of mobile systems for exploring the Universe. Today, ASI has a key role at the European level where Italy is the third contributor country to the European Space Agency. It also is involved at the international level. For example, ASI has a close working relationship with NASA, which has led to its participation in many of the most interesting scientific missions in the recent years. One of the most fascinating projects has been the construction and activities of the International Space Station where Italian astronauts are by now at home.
Thanks to ASI's efforts, the Italian scientific community has had unprecedented successes in recent years in astrophysics and cosmology, contributing among other things to reconstructing the first moments of life in the universe or making essential steps towards understanding the gamma ray bursts phenomenon. Furthermore, ASI has contributed significantly to space exploration by building scientific instruments that are aboard NASA and ESA probes bound for discovering the secrets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. In all of the major missions planned for future years-from Venus to the comets, up to the outer limits of our solar system-there will be a piece of Italy.

IMT

IMT is a private SME, founded in 1991 and active in the Space sector on two main types of activities: Systems Engineering: Design and Development of Nano/Microsatellites and relevant On-board units for space commercial, scientific and defense applications.
Parts Engineering: Characterisation and Testing of EEE (Electrical, Electronic, Electro‐Mechanical) parts.

PLANETEK

We simplify the adoption of geospatial data in order to understand the world better.* Planetek Italia is an Italian company, established in 1994, which employs 50 men and women, passionate and skilled in Geoinformatics, Space solutions, and Earth science. We work in all phases of the life cycle of geo-localized data from the acquisition, storage, management, analysis and sharing of information to produce and generate knowledge. We operate in different application areas: scientific missions for planetary exploration, defence and security, environmental and land monitoring, engineering, agriculture and aquaculture, open-governments and smart cities. Through the Planetek group, we operate at an international level by providing solutions for the European Commission and its agencies, space agencies, national and international public administrations, research institutions, private companies and engineering firms.
For further information visit:

Tyvak International

Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Inc. provides NanoSat and CubeSat space vehicle products and services that target advanced state-of-the-art capabilities for government and commercial customers to support operationally and scientifically relevant missions.
For further information visit: