Page 4 - Italy In Space
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SAN MARCO Programme (2)
December 15, 1964. Italy became the Third “Space Power” in the world, after USSR and USA. Thanks
to the good relationship with Broglio, NASA made available a Scout rocket and, for the first time,
trained foreign personnel until they could cope independently. The Italian-built satellite, exclusively
operated by an Italian team, was launched from Wallops Island, as the first satellite ever built in
Europe and launched by a West Europe Country. Commemorative cover postmarked in Wallops Island
on the day of launch.
April 24, 1971. San Marco 3, also known as “San Marco C-1” was the third satellite launched by the
Italian San Marco offshore platform. It had onboard three experiments including an advanced version
of the "Broglio Drag Balance” and two NASA experiments to investigate the atmosphere and the
ionosphere above the Earth‟s equator. Commemorative cover postmarked on the date of launch in
Malindi, Kenia, the nearest post office to the off-shore San Marco Platform.
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