News

Alma Sistemi srl won three H2020-MSCA-RISE-2018 projects funded by the European Community.

The projects are part of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) action and foresee their realization through a multidisciplinary researchers and professionals exchange. The projects are:

1 – IN-TIME, ”In-situ Instrument for Mars and Earth dating application”, a project that addresses the technological and economic viability of a leading-edge instrument for dating of Mars’ sub-surface samples: a miniaturized, portable instrument for in-situ examination and assessment based on the luminescence method. IN-TIME will be also suitable for terrestrial field applications as a lightweight and portable dating and analysis instrument for geology and archaeology as well as a risk assessment tool for accident and emergency dosimetry and nuclear mass-casualty events.

The project will involve 25 researcher and professionals coming from Italy (Alma srl, Università degli Studi G.D’annunzio di Chieti-Pescara, Università di Sassari) Spain (Universidad Complutense De Madrid, Sensia Solutions Sl), Cyprus (S3 Space Systems Solutions , Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation) and USA (The University of Texas at Austin).

ALMA Sistemi Srl is project coordinator.

2 – RESEARCH, “REmote SEnsing techniques for ARCHaeology”, a project that addresses the design and development of a multi-task platform, integrating satellite remote sensing and ground-based technologies with GIS application for mapping, diagnostics and long term monitoring of cultural heritage sites.

The project will involve 23 researchers and professionals coming from Italy (Alma srl, Università degli Studi della Tuscia), Cyprus (Cyprus University of Technology, S3 Space Systems Solutions), Greece (Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Geosystems Hellas) and Poland (University Adama Mickiewicza of Poznan).

ALMA Sistemi Srl is partner and Università degli studi della Tuscia is coordinator.

3 – STABLE, “STructural stABiLity risk assessment”, a project that address risk maps of Cultural Heritage (CH) at medium scale (block of buildings and large structures) to derive forecast for seismic movements impacting on the structural stability of the CH.

The project will involve 36 researchers and professionals coming from Italy (Alma srl, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza), Cyprus (S3 Space Systems Solutions, Frederick University) and Greece (Geosystem Hellas, National Technical University of Athens, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas).

ALMA Sistemi Srl is project coordinator.

All the projects are now in Grant Agreement preparation and are expected to start in November 2018.

PROGETTO COFINANZIATO DALL’UNIONE EUROPEA

Cristina Baldetti rappresented the company during the award cerimony on June 5th 2018.

On 5 June 2018 Alma Sistemi is one of the WINNERS OF THE EUROPEAN CONTRACT KETs – ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES

Combine the innovative technology of meta-materials – structures with properties superior to ordinary materials – with the dynamic characteristics of the plasma for the realization of highly innovative communication structures, again non-existent at European level, applicable to the aerospace sector. It is the goal of the M2P project, which launches new application technologies telecommunications through the use of advanced materials.

The study of the material arises from the growing need to create antennas of telecommunication and navigation can get a high gain, with capacity for reconfigurability, antijamming and antispoofing potential and with characteristics of weight, dimensions and consumption more and more sophisticated. Alma Sistemi, which has been operating in the aerospace and defense sector for over 10 years, with significant results in the field of consultancy and new development products and services, has established itself on the international market in the sectors of remote sensing, image processing, software development of tests for space and avionics systems.

The M2P project, developed in partnership with the Engineering Department University of the studies  Roma Tre, is the latest in a series of Research, Development activities and Innovation, which sees Alma Sistemi as the protagonist at an international level in the fields of computer and mechanical engineering and in the engineering of project, especially in the areas of application of space, environment and ICT.

Total Investment of the Project: € 281.500

Admitted Contribution: € 225.050

Promoter: ALMA SISTEMI S.A.S.Guidonia Montecelio (RM) – www.alma-sistemi.com

Research Organization: Università degli Studi Roma Tre

Regione Lazio KET’s Winners Article

PROGETTO COFINANZIATO DALL’UNIONE EUROPEA

1 June 2018, the act of commitment for the M2P Project, a project under the umbrella of the KET’s call and a project that saw the collaboration between Alma Sistemi and the engineering department of the University of Rome 3, was signed in the offices of Lazio Innova, in via dell’Ambaradam in Rome.

About the project

Telecommunications is of paramount importance to the modern world. Increasingly it is required to antenna systems: multifrequency, filling guarantee, resolutions, multiple irradiation lobes, orientation and reconfigurability; High gain antennas are required for long-range communication (i.e Geostationary satellites). Moreover, in space applications the limits imposed by the payload are stringent: weight, size and consumption.

We want to study a method for the construction of an advanced material for the development of antennas for telecommunications and navigation applications, which is able to obtain a high gain but also surprising capacity for reconfigurability with antijamming and antispoofing potential.In recent years, two fields are revolutionizing the world of telecommunications and electromagnetic control:

• Meta-materials, structures that exhibit properties that exceed the limits of ordinary materials;

• Plasma, with electromagnetic characteristics controllable by external parameters.By combining the dynamic capabilities of the plasma with the properties of meta-materials, a structure that is potentially in line with the requirements of space systems and missions is obtained.exploratory, and which also shows non-existent reconfigurability in the world market.The Plasma Meta-Materials (M2P) project has the following pioneering objectives:

• Development of prototype of plasma meta-material:- design and development of a single unit of meta-material (surface) for the efficient generation of plasma;- Experimental characterization of the single cell and of the prototype surface;- Development of meta-material based on engineering requirements.

• Meta-material simulation:- Improvement and validation of the simulation software in possession;- Simulation of a plasma cell for electromagnetic control;- Simulation of the complete meta-material.

• Verification and validation of the prototype:- Planning of the tests in the required bands;- Electromagnetic characterization of the meta-surface and calibration of the simulation software;- Analysis of the results. Moreover, it is found that both in Italy and in Europe, there are no pre-industrialization initiatives of these technologies in the form of this project. This allows us to consider M2P a project in line with the KETs call.M2P aims to introduce this field, a hybrid between meta-materials and plasmas physics, in the regional context, making the members of the first aggregation in Europe to form in this field not yet explored sufficiently.M2P is part of the RSI strategy of new technologies for telecommunications applications through the use of advanced materials. The project uses an approach, complementary to the studies in place such as the aforementioned PATH, PALADIN and STARLET, as well as exhaustive studies on meta-materials.

On 17th-19th May the final conference of Clima project will be held in Rome, palazzo Patrizi Clementi. All the interested people are warmly invited to partecipate.

SPACEUP”, for the third time in Italy, will take place in Pisa on 5-6 May 2018.

The event is organized by EUROAVIA, the “European Association of Aerospace Students” which nowadays counts more than 2000 members from 43 universities across 17 countries.

SpaceUps are space “unconventional” conferences where participants decide the topic, the schedule and the structure of the event. Everyone is, indeed, encouraged to give a talk, a round-table session or to just simply share ideas about space exploration, space engineering, astronomy and so on.

ALMA SISTEMI SRL takes part of the event as sponsor, in order to support the cultural interest for space technologies together with the aerospace industry network.

For more info about SpaceUp Pisa, take a look at: https://spaceuppisa.com/

PROGETTO COFINANZIATO DALL’UNIONE EUROPEA

ALMA Sistemi Srl, in cooperation with IRSPS Srl , has been selected by Lazioinnova (Regione Lazio agency addressed to innovation) for the design and development of advanced and portable instrumentation for rock and sediment dating up to 1 million of years. ALMA Sistemi, proposal has been selected in the competitive invitation to tender issued by Lazioinnova “Bando Aerospazio” and the proposal named “LUMINO” (this is the project acronym) has ranked in 3° position out of 28 funded projects. The instrument technology is based on “Luminescence dating” where the radiation dose emitted by the samples (illuminated by specific irradiation units) is detected, measured and converted in absolute age. The portable instrumentation has direct application in planetary exploration specifically related to Mars where a similar instrumentation can be hosted by a rover as well as for Earth application in geology, archaeology and as portable instrumentation for quick radiation dosimeter in case of nuclear accidents.

Project Description (Italiano)

From January 2018 ALMA Sitemi is a S.r.l. (“Società a Responsabilità Limitata” equivalent to a Limited company). The change has been driven by the steady grow of the company turnover as well as new orders intake in both areas: industrial and research & development contracts. At the same time ALMA SISTEMI is engaged in acquiring the qualification and certification ISO 9001 as required by large scale integrator in the space sector (Thales, Alenia Space, Airbus defence and Space, OHB Sistema) as well as by the European Space Agency.
ALMA Sistemi is currently engaged in several activities: two RTD projects in Horizon 2020 and one FP7 Joint Program Initiative on Cultural Heritage and two industrial contracts for Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE).
The company is also very active in projects proposal addressing technology innovation. In fact, from the beginning of the year, ALMA Sistemi submitted 6 Horizon 2020 project proposals in Industrial leadership (Space work programme), Excellence Science (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions) and in Societal Challenge. Four of those proposal has been submitted with ALMA Sistemi Srl as coordinator addressing remote sensing applications and products, such as Cultural Heritage, Civil Engineering, Metamaterials technology and Planetary Exploration instrumentation. Furthermore 3 industrial offers in the area of MGSE has been also delivered to large scale integrator. Of course, success rate is generally low but ALMA Sistemi is also distinguishing for high quality and “innovation” character of the proposals that granted in the past a well recognized success rate.
An overview of ALMA activities and success stories is illustrated in the following article published on March issue of “Platinum” magazine attached to “Il Sole 24 ore” financial newspaper.

Alma Sistemi CEO Interview (ENG version)
Intervista al CEO di Alma Sistemi (versione Italiana)

The team  ALMA Sistemi and ELITAL,  as prime contractor, have successfully passed the Critical Design Review of the Metop 2^ndGeneration  MicroWave Sounder (MWS) instrument Mechanical Ground Support Equipment. The milestone marks the beginning of the manufacturing phase of the mechanical equipment required by Airbus Defence and Space UK (Portsmouth) for the Assembly integration and test of the MWS instrument. The manufacturing phase will be carried out by Elital at its premises in L’Aquila, Italy.

Also in July has been successfully held the Requirement Review of Metop 2^nd Generation Satellite A and B Lifting and Handling devices Mechanical Ground Support Equipment. This is a recent acquired contract by ALMA and Elital with Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Friedrichshafen, Germany.