The Sapienza Space Team is a university student group composed of students from various branches of engineering, united by a passion for implementing projects in the aerospace, space, and aeronautical fields. Our main goal is to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired during our academic journey to develop highly innovative and stimulating projects.

The Sapienza Space Team focuses on simulating complete space missions. We take care of every aspect, from writing preliminary and critical documentation, to building physical prototypes, designing and programming flight software and ground stations, and conducting verification through environmental tests and pre- and post-mission briefings. Additionally, we participate in prestigious international competitions such as the CanSat Competition organized by NASA and Lockheed Martin, where we put all these aspects into practice by launching a prototype satellite in Blacksburg, VA at Virginia Tech, using various launch systems.

Our team has been selected to participate in the 2023 edition, ranking in the top 5 internationally, and we are currently engaged in the development of a service module and an atmospheric probe, meeting the requirements of the US commission. The mission involves a low-altitude launch, initial deployment of the service module containing the probe as its payload using a primary parachute, followed by the autonomous release of the probe at a predetermined atmospheric altitude and its safe return to the ground.

Once released, the probe will be tasked with deploying an aerobraking heat shield and initiating a controlled descent, gathering video and atmospheric data along the way. Subsequently, it will decelerate using various parachute systems to achieve a controlled landing, then autonomously upright itself and signal its location to the recovery team.

Our team is constantly seeking new projects and challenges in both the academic and engineering fields in order to stay updated on new technologies and advances in the aerospace sector.

We are proud to present our autonomous atmospheric probe and its corresponding service module, created using cutting-edge technologies such as 3D printing, CNC machining, and the use of composite materials like carbon fiber and specialized materials like mylar.

Furthermore, we will showcase custom-designed onboard electronics, implemented on personalized printed circuit boards to optimize weight and ensure reliability and safety of the sensors and main control systems. We will also demonstrate our ground station, which receives real-time telemetry and remote control interfaces.

Our main objective is to apply our knowledge and experiences to enter the aerospace sector, particularly in the promising field of CubeSats, as well as in atmospheric and planetary applications.