Elt Enters a New Domain : Scorpio Launched into Space

Elt, an Italian company leader in Electronic Defence, in line with its TENET strategic plan, which includes “SPACE EW” as a growth domain, has successfully launched its first payload, SCORPIO, into space for Electronic Intelligence activities.

The launch of the SCORPIO system, which took place thanks to Space X’s Falcon 9 launcher on April 14 from Space Force Base in Vandenberg, California, was made possible thanks to the collaboration between Elt and D-ORBIT, a space logistics company and provider of the “satellite taxi”, and put into LEO (Low Earth Orbit) orbit, the Rome-based company said.

SCORPIO performs Electronic Intelligence activities and enables the interception, identification and localisation of terrestrial electromagnetic sources (RF Signals) from space, exploiting AI algorithms for information processing and classification. Specifically, this first mission will aim to collect unclassified data on maritime traffic.

With this launch, the company is putting its skills at the service of a further operational domain, in addition to the other four in which it is already present with its defence systems: air, land, maritime and cyber, the Elt statement said April 17.

The company’s entry into the space domain strengthens Elt’s competitive positioning.

The systems developed in the SPACE EW domain will make use of the expertise already acquired in Cyberspace and will be integrated for the protection and countering of cyber threats.

“We are very proud of our arrival in this new domain – quoted Enzo Benigni, President and CEO of Elt – The particular experience that derives from the application of skills in the EMSO sector in the space domain, represents a strategic resource for Italy’s technological sovereignty in an area that is increasingly crucial for defence and security, including in the civilian sector” –adj/shp/mgm (Pix: Elt)