The Telespazio Fucino Space Centre, a joint venture between Leonardo and Thales  hosted the kick-off meeting of ARIES, a project co-financed by the European Space Agency .

The event marked the debut of an important initiative focusing on prevention, detection and response for emergencies such as forest fires and landslides, which are increasingly frequent due to climate change and often have dramatic consequences in terms of loss of life and material damage.

In the ARIES project, in collaboration with partners e-GEOS, CeTemps and CRAT, Telespazio aims to develop an advanced solution integrating satellite connectivity networks and 4G/5G (Multi Radio Access Technology, RAT) with monitoring activities using drones operated through the proprietary T-DROMES platform and sensors positioned on the ground.

The system will be managed by a Service Centre located at the Fucino Space Centre, where the data will be processed using Artificial Intelligence algorithms in order to support rescue teams deployed in the territory.

The event saw the presentation of details of the project, testing of which will be supported by the Regional Civil Guard, the Fire Brigade, the Velino Sirente Regional Park Authority, the Municipality of Celano and the Celano Airfield.

The event was attended by: the Councillor for Production, Industrial Research, and Labour of the Region of Abruzzo, Tiziana Magnacca (via video link); the Director of the Civil Guard in the Region of Abruzzo, Mauro Casinghini; the President of Velino Sirente Regional Park, Francesco d’Amore; the Firefighting Forestry Manager of the Fire Brigade of the Region of Abruzzo, Antonio Cavaioli; and representatives of the companies and partners involved.

Speakers for Telespazio included the director of the Fucino Space Centre,Gianni Riccobono, and the Vice President of the Satellite Communications Line of Business, Alessandro Caranci, who commented: “With ARIES we have a new and innovative tool for the management of environmental emergencies. Institutions and bodies responsible for territorial protection will be able to respond faster and more effectively thanks to the integration of artificial intelligence, drones and multifunctional communication systems, improving the safety of communities and optimising relief operations.”