Ciao, Italia!

GUESS WHAT!!!???? Right NOW I am packing for Italy! Yes, you read that right, Vado in Italia! I am going to pack winter clothes, because I will be in central Italy, specifically Milan, and they are in the middle of winter too! OK, too busy to write much, so while I pack, you can learn a handful of the many Italian-based space contributions!

• The Vega Rocket Launch System

  The Italian Space Agency (ASI) & European Space Agency (ESA) led the development of the Vega (Vector Europeo di Generazione Avanzata) rocket, a small-lift launch vehicle designed for launching satellites. It had its first successful launch in 2012 from Kourou, French Guiana.
  

• Italy’s plays a major role in the International Space Station (ISS) Italy designed and built multiple ISS modules including Node 2 (Harmony) and Node 3 (Tranquility) which provide life-support and connection hubs, as well as Multipurpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs) which are used to transport cargo to the ISS.
  

• Samantha Cristoforetti - Italy’s First Female Astronaut

  Comandante Cristoforetti flew to the ISS in 2014 (Expedition 42/43) and again in 2022 and held the record for the longest uninterrupted spaceflight by a European astronaut (199 days) until 2022. She is known and loved for her outreach work and making science accessible.
  

• The Dante Mission – Inferno in Space!

  In 2023, Italy launched a thermal infrared satellite called PLATiNO 1, and it's planning PLATiNO 2 soon. Both will help with Earth observation, disaster monitoring, and climate studies, especially in the Mediterranean region.
  

• Space Science – Agile Satellite AGILE, which stands for Astrorivelatore Gamma a Immagini LEggero, launched in 2007. It is an Italian space telescope studying gamma rays – helping us understand cosmic phenomena like black holes, supernovae, and neutron stars.

So excited to explore Milan, Italy! Will take lots of pictures for you!