AEROSPACE@UniTo

Who we are

AEROSPACE@UniTo
The University of Turin's Aerospace Scientific Platform

Aerospace research has profoundly changed our understanding of Earth and has allowed us to move away from it to begin the exploration of space. Today more than ever, we are witnessing the development of space programs with a growing number of public and commercial players around the world: this contributes to the expansion of the space economy, defined by the OECD as the full range of activities and use of resources that create value and benefits for humans in the course of exploring, researching, understanding, managing, and using space. At the same time, we have extremely accurate techniques for observing our planet, which are of fundamental importance for advancing knowledge and contributing to improving the quality of life, also helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The aerospace platform, dedicated to the advancement of aerospace research, deploys the specific skills of researchers at the University of Turin to address these issues, which, by their nature, require an integrated and multidisciplinary approach.

The objective of the platform is to stimulate research and training in these sectors, creating networks within our University that, in the development of research projects, can act as points of reference for collaborations with public bodies and companies operating in these strategic sectors for our region.

Fonte del grafico: ESA - missione Euclid

AEROSPACE@UniTo Research

The Aerospace platform adopts a multidisciplinary approach to various research topics, such as:

- High-energy astrophysics, astroparticle physics, celestial mechanics, relativistic theories of gravity, and exoplanets, which define the theoretical and fundamental framework for space missions and observations. (Space Exploration Working Group)

- Design and characterization of innovative and sustainable materials, organic and inorganic, polymeric and metallic. (Space Materials Working Group)

- Effects of geomagnetic and hypomagnetic fields and microgravity on neuronal responses of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans and on biomineralization. Multi-omic studies on plant and animal model organisms, nematodes, and Dictyostelium discoideum. (Magnetic Fields - Microgravity Working Group)

- Environmental applications of Earth Observation (EO) with a focus on agriculture (water demand, crop classification, and CAP controls), forestry, glaciology, volcanology and seismology, ecology, entomology, and veterinary medicine. Multi- and hyperspectral optical remote sensing and SAR data and techniques from EO systems are used to support dynamic spatial modeling (over time), with the aim of streamlining and objectifying land management through the proposal of new downstream services for public and private users. (Earth Observation Working Group)

- Design and implementation of advanced drone systems and development of innovative systems for crop and soil monitoring, based on high and ultra-high resolution data, both 2D and 3D. (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Working Group)

- Vertical farming and aeroponic farming for indoor farming in space. (Space Agriculture Working Group)

- Human response to the conditions and risks of space (e.g., cosmic radiation, microgravity, magnetic fields, isolated, confined, and extreme environments) and possible countermeasures to promote adaptation to space conditions, studied from different perspectives and disciplines: medicine, biology, neurophysiology, pharmacology, neuropsychology, neuroscience. (Space Medicine and Life Sciences Working Group)

- Characterization of the physical and chemical-physical properties of extraterrestrial materials, development of soil simulants from different planets. (Planetary Materials Characterization and Exploration Working Group)

- International, European, and comparative law, protection of property rights intellectual property and public procurement in the aerospace sector. (Aerospace Law Working Group)

PhD in Space Science and Technology

The National Doctoral Program in Space Science and Technology aims to train young doctoral students in the fields of science, engineering, technology, and international relations in the space field, through the development of knowledge and skills in the research areas specialized in the twenty-seven universities and research institutes participating in the program.

Coordinator of the AEROSPACE@UniTo Platform

Prof. Matteo Luca Ruggiero

Matteo Ruggiero, Associate Professor at the University of Turin - Department of Mathematics, where he works in Mathematical Physics (sector MAT/07). He graduated in Physics at the University of Turin of Pisa in 1994 and obtained his PhD from the Politecnico di Torino.

His research activity focuses mainly on the theory of relativity General, gravitation, and cosmology, with a focus on exact models, relativistic dynamics, and astrophysical applications of gravitational theories.

In addition to his teaching and research activities, Professor Ruggiero participates in numerous national and international scientific projects and is the author of numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals. He is also involved in scientific dissemination, with the aim of making complex concepts of modern physics accessible to a broader audience. broad.

In the academic context, he teaches courses in mathematics and physics, including celestial mechanics, mathematics for chemistry, and science communication.