Sicral-1 re-orbiting operations concluded
After over 20 years of activity in geostationary orbit

The re-orbiting operations of the Sicral-1 military satellite (Italian System for Confidential Communications and Alarms) have been completed, moved to a safe position, the so-called cemetery orbit, to avoid interference, collisions and to avoid problems related to a possible return to the Earth similar to the recent ones of the Chinese launcher Changzheng (CZ-5B). Launched into space in February 2001 to safely regulate communications between the Joint Forces Management and Control Center and moving ships, airplanes and land armed forces, Sicral -1 has operated for over 21 years, a time much longer than average life. of a geosynchronous satellite which is about 10-12 years old.
"One of the factors that determines the life of a satellite -Filippo Gemma, senior advisor of Gmspazio explains it- is the fuel used in the corrective maneuvers that are necessary to maintain the right position in orbit and avoid any collisions with debris or other bodies present in the space. Since 2012 we have had the honor of collaborating with the armed forces, equipping them with a system called Cas composed of hardware sensors and software systems capable of optimizing these displacements, with an important fuel saving which was one of the factors which allowed Sicral -1 to remain operational for all this time".
GSAT, the software system necessary to manage the Cas system is the software produced by Gmspazio to acquire, evaluate and calculate all space-dependent information to avoid collisions and improve the performance of satellites in geostationary orbit, through precise measurements before and after maneuvers, to limit destructive damage and potentially harmful waste for the entire life cycle of the mission. The software architecture has been designed to offer a completely customizable "plug-and-play" interface approach to end users interested in being precise, responsive and effective, facilitating the connection with the different equipment already in possession and with consequent economic savings. and structural.
"Unfortunately the space around the Earth is becoming more crowded every day -Filippo Gemma continued it- and consequently the risks increase and the probability of unexpected collisions increases and therefore the need to move a satellite by correcting its orbit. Reliability and precision. of Gsat allowed Sicral-1 to reduce these displacements to the minimum necessary, allowing it to operate at its best for a long time".
AVIONEWS - World Aeronautical Press Agency