ALMA Sistemi in the STARLET Project

ALMA Sistemi has recently been awarded the STARLET project as subcontractor to ELITAL Srl (L’Aquila), within the innovation programme for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises co-funded by the Italian Space Agency. The team includes two additional SMEs: Technology For Innovation Srl (Padua) and Space Boy Station Srl (Rome). The project focuses on the development of an innovative navigation plasma antenna resistant to both natural and man-made interferences.

The main goal of STARLET is to design, develop and test a new satellite navigation antenna based on plasma gas. The multi-beam antenna is capable of directing each beam to track a single satellite, reducing both multipath and jamming signals affecting receivers.

The plasma antenna operates through a plasma shock (contained within a dielectric tube), where the plasma becomes conductive when the tube is energised. This enables the transmission and reception of signals. The tubes dynamically reconfigure to follow satellites according to the constellation ephemeris and the current position, based on direction diagrams, frequency, gain and beam aperture.

The electronic reconfiguration operates on a microsecond basis and ensures low thermal noise.

The Smart Plasma Antenna can:

1. Identify the direction of the incoming signal

2. Direct the antenna beam towards a mobile target

3. Move the beam in any direction to minimise interference

The project also aims to design, develop and test a dual-use navigation antenna systems prototype, alongside the development of simulation and validation software. This software will support performance assessment and prototype validation, both in the laboratory and in the field.

ALMA Sistemi’s contribution focuses on software development, data analysis, quality assurance and business planning.