LEAD YOUR SMALLSAT
ANYWHERE IN THE
SOLAR SYSTEM
About Us
Read our history, to understand our future
Nautilus – Navigation in Space is the business solution built upon decades of experience in the space sector of two World level Italian research groups, the Team of the Radioscience and Planetary Exploration Lab and the Microsatellites and Space Microsystems Lab of the University of Bologna and the Deep-space Astrodynamics Research & Technology (DART) Group of the Politecnico di Milano.
Our experience covers, among others, orbit determination, GNC, mission analysis, GNSS navigation, ADCS, small satellites systems design and development. But, above all, our expertise is consolidated in interplanetary missions navigation, thanks to our involvement in several NASA and ESA planetary exploration missions. This, combined with our deep knowledge of small satellite platforms, represents the cornerstone of the Nautilus business idea.
OUR MISSION
We aim at applying the Small Satellites philosophy to the Operational Ground Segment by privatizing deep space flight dynamics activities. Our goal is to offer to public and private customers cost-efficient and tailored flight dynamics services for SmallSats. This substantial cost reduction will drastically change the perception of deep space missions, opening a brand-new chapter in the New Space Economy.
OUR VISION
"Break down deep space barriers
to foster interplanetary exploration"
Deep-Space Flight Dynamics Services
Customized and cost-effective solutions
Flight-Dynamics
We guide and navigate your satellite throughout all operational phases of a Deep Space mission, from separation to end-of life
Navigation Services
We provide additional support and consultancy both in the mission design (Phase 0 to Phase C) and during routine and/or critical routine flying missions.
SmallSats Operations
We offer support in the definition of the ground segment infrastructure and procedures, providing navigation requirements for SmallSats.
Consulting
With our proven expertise in the fields of astrodynamics, radioscience, navigation, and satellite systems we can also provide consultancy on-request.
Benefits
Why lauching your own SmallSat?
The Solar System Has Never Been So Small
We will help you charting the route to anywhere in the solar system. Our navigation services are customized to reflect needs and requirements of any small satellites missions.
Reach Deep Space On a Budget
Our navigation services are designed to be economically compatible with small satellites missions and to fit every possible mission scenario.
Relax And Enjoy The Exploration
We take care of your spacecraft journey, from the design of the mission to the end of the operational life. A superior and reliable offer to enjoy your ride.
Markets
Multiple applications, endless gains
Space Exploration
The SmallSats revolution has enabled such class of spacecraft to self-sustain interplanetary scientific missions. Our solution will drastically increase the access to deep space, allowing hundreds of SmallSats to explore the solar system and reveal its secrets.
Asteroid Mining
Asteroids contain a wide range of finite-Earth resources from water to platinum. Our cost-efficient solution can pave the way to enormous environmental and economic gains as well as provide critical resources to permanent human colonies in space.
Planetary Defence
While the chances of a major near-Earth object collision are low in the near term, it is likely that in the far future humanity must face such a threat. Our solution will expedite SmallSats employment to study hazardous asteroids and eventually redirect their orbit.
The Team
Skilled professionals, bold humans
Alfredo Locarini
CEO and Founder
Alessandro Morselli
Guidance & Control lead
and Founder
Luis A. Gomez Casajus
Orbit Determination lead
and Founder
Marco Maggi
Strategic and Financial Analyst
Francesco Topputo
Business Developer
and Founder
Paolo Tortora
Business Developer
and Founder
Dario Modenini
Attitude Control expert
and Founder
Marco Zannoni
Flight Dynamics expert
and Founder
Heritage
Review our 20-year experience in deep-space navigation
ORBIT DETERMINATION
The Nautilus technical offer is firmly based on the expertise acquired over the course of two decades of research activity within the Radio Science and Planetary Exploration laboratory and the Microsatellites and Space Microsystems laboratory of the University of Bologna.
The two teams have achieved remarkable research achievements thanks to their involvement in several international projects in the area of orbit determination, planetary science and in the area of micro and nano-satellite systems design: development, testing and satellite communication.
The University of Bologna has conducted research activities performing the data analysis of several past NASA and ESA deep space missions: Pioneer, Galileo and Cassini. At the moment, the team is involved in several ongoing and future missions of both NASA and ESA such as Juno, Bepi-Colombo, Exomars 2022, HERA, Juice and Europa Clipper. Moreover, the research team is currently in charge of the navigation of the first two European interplanetary CubeSats funded and coordinated by ASI: LICIACube and ArgoMoon.
Credit: ESA/Science Office
GUIDANCE AND CONTROL
The second cornerstone of Nautilus is the Deep-space Astrodynamics Research & Technology (DART) group of the Politecnico di Milano, that is performing ground-breaking research on trajectory design and optimization, autonomous guidance, navigation and control (GNC) for deep-space CubeSats and satellites.
In 2019, prof. Francesco Topputo was awarded an ERC consolidator grant for the EXTREMA project, whose goal is to enable CubeSats with autonomous GNC capabilities. The outcomes of the research on autonomous navigation, autonomous guidance and control, and autonomous ballistic capture will eventually be integrated in a fully-functional facility to test interplanetary missions.
Moreover, the DART group is strongly involved in the design and operations of the ESA interplanetary CubeSats fleet: Milani, to be released in the proximity of a binary asteroid Didymos and Dimorphos as part of Hera mission, LUMIO, whose goal is to observe, quantify, and characterize the meteoroid impacts by detecting their flashes on the lunar farside, and M-ARGO, the first standalone CubeSat that will use its own low-thrust propulsion system to journey in deep-space and rendez-vous with an asteroid.
Credit: ESA-Jacky Huart
