Politecnico di Milano

The Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi) is Italy's leading technical university, founded in 1863. With over 50,000 students, 10 campuses across Italy, and partnerships with top research institutions worldwide, it consistently ranks among Europe's top 10 engineering universities. The Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DAER) is one of Italy's foremost space engineering research centres.

PoliMi has an impressive track record in nanosatellite and CubeSat development. In October 2024, the Milani CubeSat — developed by PoliMi in partnership with ESA and ASI — was launched aboard ESA's Hera asteroid mission to the Didymos binary asteroid system. In March 2025, PoliMi was part of the H.E.R.M.E.S. Pathfinder mission: six nanosatellites launched on SpaceX Transporter 13 for detecting gamma-ray bursts in coordination with NASA and ASI. The planned LUMIO mission (Lunar Meteoroid Impacts Observer, 12U CubeSat) will observe meteoroid impacts on the lunar surface from a halo orbit around Earth-Moon L2.

PoliMi's space activities span satellite systems design and analysis, space robotics, GNC (Guidance Navigation and Control), space debris mitigation, interplanetary mission design, and space structures. It is a founding partner of the ESA Academic Network and has contributed to multiple ESA science missions.