A university space technology program to design and validate new and potentially cost-effective hardware

The evolution of the aerospace field has pushed the importance of cost-effective development of space platforms. The high-risk levels related to new technology allow universities to have an important role in improving the cost effectiveness of the hardware design, development and testing. In this frame, the Second University of Naples space technology program is described, outlining benefits and drawbacks of the program from both industrial, research, and educational points of view. The R&D approach and relative laboratory are described, presenting the results obtained in terms of the developed hardware and the educational improvements. An overview of the budget needed in these few years to develop the program is given, and the potential achievements, along with the main critical points are outlined.