On February 22, 1996 on board the Space Shuttle Columbia, Colonel Maurizio Cheli, as first officer of the Italian Air Force, participated in the STS-75 mission playing, as the first Italian astronaut, the role of mission specialist.
On the occasion of this important anniversary, the chief of staff of the Italian Air Force, general air team Pasquale Preziosa, wanted to meet the officer and astronaut to highlight how "the presence of four officers of the Air Force who had flown into space testifies to the interest of the Armed Force for the activities of human space and sub-orbital flight that represent our future. A journey that began more than 50 years ago, thanks to the genius and commitment of General Luigi Broglio, an engineer of the Air Force, who allowed Italy to access Space with its own satellite, the Saint Mark. A success that only the Soviet Union and the United States could share in the 1964 ".
Colonel Maurizio Cheli wanted to underline how "the Air Force over the course of over 90 years has trained and prepared not only astronauts, but also engineers and aerospace doctors, transferring their human and technical skills to the world of Italian astronautics and European ".
Today the Air Force has its own infrastructures and specific capabilities at the Experimental Flight Center. To capitalize on this experience, the GIAS (Aero-Space Engineering Group) was born, which represents an Armed Force start-up made up of engineers and specialists between 25 and 36 years of age with a strong technological vocation, marked by innovation.
