A young, dynamic, and ambitious initiative, yet already demonstrating excellent organisation: this is ASTREO, the new UniTS team bringing together students with a shared passion for aerospace. Their mission? To collaborate and challenge themselves alongside colleagues from other Italian and international universities, developing cutting-edge solutions for the sector with a strong focus on sustainability.

Astreo is the third student team active at the University of Trieste, joining the already established Audace Sailing Team and UniTS Racing Team. Founded within the Department of Engineering and Architecture, Astreo has already built a solid foundation, with nearly 30 members from five different departments. The project’s scientific lead is Stefano Seriani, a professor of Robotics at the University of Trieste and an expert in satellite development, with experience collaborating with ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA.

The team operates with a clear and efficient organisational structure, complemented by specific working groups dedicated to key areas: Design, Electronics, Scientific Performance, Outreach, Finance & Legal, and Software.

One of Astreo’s first projects is the development of a detector for space debris in low Earth orbit – an urgent response to concerns highlighted in ESA’s annual reports, which warn of increasing space traffic and the growing risk of collisions between satellites and debris. To ensure sustainability in their research and make experimentation more accessible, the team is committed to using innovative and modular technologies. They aim to adopt the CubeSat standard – small satellites used for scientific and experimental purposes – and employ 3D printing for prototyping.

From 3rd to 7th March 2025, Astreo had its first opportunity to engage in an international setting. Giuseppe Basile, a UniTS student and Astreo member, took part in a workshop organised by ESA after successfully securing a place through a competitive selection process. During the workshop, participants worked on designing a CubeSat based on requirements defined by ESA experts.