The Italian SME is engaged in research, development, and training activities to strengthen Italy’s position in human spaceflight and train astronauts for long-duration missions.
Deep Blue and aerospace
Deep Blue is an Italian SME that has been working on human-centered innovation in complex environments, such as aerospace, for over 20 years. Among its core activities is training men and women employed in high-stress and extreme environments, including astronauts, air traffic controllers, surgeons, firefighters, and emergency managers, to name a few.
Deep Blue has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2023 to train new astronaut candidates Sophie Adenot, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Rosemary Coogan, Raphaël Liégeois, and Marco Sieber, who were selected from over 22,500 candidates from ESA Member States in November 2022.
“We study technological innovation and human behavior in challenging environments: space, sky, and sea . These are scenarios that can be approached from different perspectives and approaches, from engineering to philosophy. It’s no coincidence that half of our staff are STEM experts and half are humanists,” said Simone Pozzi , CEO of Deep Blue and a trainer for ESA.
The home of Italian culture and innovation in Silicon Valley
INNOVIT Italian Innovation and Culture Hub is a project promoted by the Directorate General for Country Economics and Social Innovation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in collaboration with the Consulate General in San Francisco and managed with the support of ITA – Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco. The center offers tailored programs for companies at various stages of growth and innovation needs, with a specific focus on acceleration programs for startups, scaleups, and SMEs. CALL 4 INNOVIT is a program for Italian SMEs and startups operating in the fields of technological innovation and the promotion of Italian culture internationally.
“Being in San Francisco with Innovit, in the heart of Silicon Valley, represents not only a milestone, but also the beginning of a new chapter for Deep Blue. Our goal is to make new and important contributions to space training, combining our experience in complex environments like aviation with the latest technological innovations, to prepare astronauts for the future challenges of long-duration missions,” said Linda Napoletano , Director of Deep Blue.
Deep Blue and Innovit: the idea to be developed
After completing the first Readiness phase , Deep Blue will participate in the second Experience phase from November 27th to December 1st, in which 15 SMEs will participate in the acceleration program in Silicon Valley. The program includes institutional events, workshops, mentoring sessions, and networking with startups, big tech companies, venture capitalists, and experts .
Deep Blue’s goal is to address the challenges of long-duration missions , particularly those that will lead to the Moon and perhaps Mars in the coming years . The aim is to strengthen Italy’s position in the field of human spaceflight , which still represents one of the most significant challenges today.
“The true frontier of future space exploration is human performance, which is essential for dealing with unexpected and hostile situations, and for optimally managing a team of astronauts who are currently engaged in missions lasting a few months but will potentially be engaged for years, ” continues Pozzi.
To achieve this goal, the first step is to develop a model for training before and during space missions , in particular by designing and building a Mixed Reality environment to be used both on the ground and in flight, inspired by the training guidelines used today by airline pilots.
Once in flight, the Mixed Reality environment will be able to offer personalized support to astronauts, improving both their performance and well-being by monitoring behaviors and neurophysiological data. It will also be able to offer personalized training advice, assist with stress management, and improve the quality of life on board.
“In new space missions, it will be increasingly crucial for crew members to be able to excel in behavioral skills , to achieve objectives and complete missions, but above all because they save your life ” concludes Angela Donati , Senior Training Consultant at Deep Blue and trainer on the ESA course.