Researach > Projects > ASTRASud

The ASTRASud project aims to enhance Italy’s role in Space Situational Awareness (SSA), space weather monitoring, and multi-messenger astronomy by strengthening INAF infrastructures in Southern Italy. It entails upgrading the Noto and SRT radio telescopes and the Catania solar telescope, as well as modifying the “Croce del Nord” array in Medicina and installing new instruments: TANDEM (Isnello), MezzoCielo (Sardinia), and a LOFAR station in Noto. These facilities will improve the monitoring of space debris and solar phenomena, providing high-precision, high-sensitivity data for the European EUSST network. ASTRASud will also foster innovative space weather services through multi-band observations, rapid analysis systems, and near-real-time data dissemination. Furthermore, it will contribute to timely responses to alerts regarding transient astrophysical events. The project strengthens synergies between research, industry, and the local territory, promoting innovation and space security at both European and international levels.

Planned activities:

WP1: Project office (ref. IRA – Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna)
WP2: Radio infrastructure (ref. IRA – Istituto di Radioastronomia – sede di Noto)
WP3: Optical infrastructure (ref. OACt – Osservatorio di Catania)
WP4: Space Surveillance Tracking (ref. OAPa – Osservatorio di Palermo)
WP5: Space Weather (ref. OAC – Osservatorio di Cagliari)
WP6: Multi-messenger astronomy (ref. OAPd – Osservatorio di Padova)

Expected results:

WP1: Organization of six project meetings and two public events; implementation of communication and dissemination activities, as well as promotional and dissemination materials; production of dissemination videos; and development of project monitoring and management tools.
WP2: WP2 will upgrade the SRT, Noto, and Croce del Nord radio telescopes, positioning them at the forefront of multi-messenger astronomy, solar physics research, and space monitoring. New receivers and advanced mechatronic control systems will be installed at the SRT, while a node of the European LOFAR 2.0 network will be established at Noto.
WP3: Modification of the foundation slab and construction of the infrastructure to house the TANDEM telescope; fabrication and installation of the STEERABLE TELESCOPE CLUSTER (TANDEM) system; construction of a solar telescope with three observational channels at the Catania Observatory; fabrication and installation of the main collector for the MezzoCielo demonstrator.
WP4: Implementation of computing systems and software development for the optimal utilization of the infrastructures developed under WP2 (radio observations) and WP3 (optical observations), with particular focus on data fusion from observations obtained via different facilities and wavebands.
WP5: Commissioning and validation of radio and optical ‘Solar Agility’ technologies for Space Weather; design and implementation of the architecture for processing and managing radio/optical SWx observational products; design of a public portal for the dissemination of integrated data.
WP6: Development of software tools for the dynamic scheduling and remote operation of the SRT, including the integration of backends for real-time data acquisition and analysis. Definition and validation of observational strategies for the follow-up of gravitational waves, transient sources, and multi-messenger events, in synergy with MezzoCielo.

Start: 10.06.2026

Duration: 30 mesi

Financing program:

• PN-RIC – Programma Nazionale Ricerca, Innovazione e Competitività per la transizione verde e digitale 2021-2027; Azione 1.1.1 – Potenziamento delle Infrastrutture di Ricerca (IR) pubbliche che operano in ambito S3 finalizzato all’avanzamento tecnologico delle imprese.

Lead: INAF-Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna (ref. Germano Bianchi)

Partner:

• Osservatorio di Catania (ref. Paolo Romano)
• Osservatorio di Palermo (ref. Mario Guarcello)
• Osservatorio di Cagliari (ref. Alberto Pellizzoni)
• Osservatorio di Padova (ref.  Demetrio Magrin)