Last November 17th and 18th, under the aegis of Campania aerospace district (DAC), an international "Hackathon" organized on the initiative of the French Space Command.
La challenges saw all the participating teams compete for 24 consecutive hours with the aim of finding the solution to a concrete problem outlined by the aforementioned military command.
The two tracks, one for the challenges generalist and one for the technical one, were unveiled simultaneously in all countries involved and concerned the theme of satellite constellations.
At the Italian headquarters, 10 teams made up of university students and young people with a maximum of 3 years of post-graduate work experience competed against each other: 7 participated in the technical track and 3 in the generalist track.
The Air Force Academy, in the context of the so-called extra-curricular activities and, specifically, those aimed at knowledge of the aerospace domain, participated with two teams, one for each challenges.
After the efforts made, the projects were exhibited in front of a local jury made up of representatives of industries and universities.
Subsequently, the live connection with France took place during which the French Space Command has made the winners official for each of the local challenges carried out, in addition to Italy and several French cities, also in Singapore, Mexico, Peru and Cyprus, with the possibility of competing also in digital mode.
For Italy, the generalist challenge saw the triumph of the "Air Force Academy" team made up of frequenters of the Institute who, thanks to the heterogeneity of the composition, the exhibition capacity and the originality of the proposed solution, favorably impressed all the members of the jury, ranking first with a very high score.
Specifically, the team was made up of course attendees Vulcan V, Zodiac V, Eagle VI, Boreas VI e Centaur VI. After receiving the prize plaque, they were then invited by the DAC to participate in Paris on 12 December, in the semi-finals and eventual final, against the other winning teams. The final prize will consist of a visit to the Kourou space port in French Guiana.
The team that developed the technical outline also performed well, proposing a solution based on hypersonic capacity, a topic explored in depth during the technical-scientific symposium recently held at the Air Force Academy and which aroused the interest of the members of the jury.
The Air Force Academy depends on the command of the Air Force Schools/3rd Air Region. It is a military institute of higher education of a university nature which has the task of providing for the recruitment and training of young people who aspire to become officers of the Air Force.
By attending the regular courses of the Academy you can become a second lieutenant in permanent active service of the Air Force, in the normal role of navigators (pilots) and in the normal role of the Arms, of the aeronautical engineers, of the aeronautical commissary corps and of the aeronautical medical corps. Courses are also held at the Institute for officer students (pilots and navigators of complement and fixed station) and directly appointed second lieutenants (both of the normal role and of the special role); finally, in the Academy's study plan, courses with a specialist aeronautical connotation are foreseen, for foreign personnel and other Armed Forces.
