Page 16 - Italy In Space
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Telecommunication Satellites
Italy decides to recover its STV payload and to implement the satellite on its own, as “SIRIO Project”.
SIRIO (Satellite Italiano Ricerca Industriale Orientato) was primarily a spin stabilized geostationary
experimental communications satellite.
August 25, 1977. After many „stop and go‟ the SIRIO satellite is launched. SIRIO – designed,
manufactured and managed by the Italian Consortium, under the supervision of CIA, Compagnia
Industriale Aerospaziale – had a nominal life of two years. Commemorative launch cover, postmarked
at KSC on the day of launch. The cover was inappropriately cancelled with the pictorial NASA
postmark put in use since July 1st for the “Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests”.
Despite its short nominal life, SIRIO operated for more than ten years, allowing many telecom
experiments, starting with European Economic Community that utilized the satellite for 2 years for
institutional communication. It was eventually used by USA, Canada, China and Indonesia until 1987.
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