On 30 June each year International Asteroid Day is celebrated, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate the impact of Tunguska in 1908 and raise awareness of the importance of planetary defense against possible space threats. In this edition GMV took part in a series of initiatives to reaffirm its commitment to research, technological innovation and dissemination in this strategic area.

On Monday 30 June GMV, together with the City Council of Tres Cantos, organized an informative day in the Adolfo Suárez Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Adolfo Suárez). The event brought together citizens, experts and institutional representatives to discuss the real risk posed by near-earth asteroids and the technologies developed to detect and neutralize them.

Mariella Graziano, GMV's Director of Strategy and Business Development of Science, Exploration and Transportation of Space Systems EST, presented the European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera and RAMSES missions, two key projects in which the company is taking an active part. These missions are aimed at autonomous navigation and asteroid deflection and are key pillars of Europe's planetary defense.

The program included a viewing of the film Don't Look Up, a film that combines science and pop culture to raise awareness of this issue, and afterwards there was a space for discussion in which attendees could talk and share their thoughts.

Prior to the conference in Tres Cantos, on Thursday 26 June GMV organized a face-to-face and online session with Ian Carnelli, ESA's Program Manager of the Hera mission. Carnelli shared with the GMV team and all the attendees a detailed view of the mission's development, from its first concepts to the latest technological advances, including the RAMSES subsystem, fundamental for mission success.

His presentation, full of anecdotes and experiences, gave a first-hand account of the technical and human challenges involved in leading a groundbreaking European initiative in planetary exploration and defense. 

In parallel, Andrea Pellacani, HERA GNC Technical Manager & RAMSES GNC Program Manager in GMV, took part on the expert panel in the virtual session “Afternoon with the Avengers” organized by Cranfield University (UK). In this international forum Pellacani and other experts discussed global strategies for protecting the planet from possible asteroid impacts, reinforcing the need for cooperation and cutting-edge technology in planetary defense.

GMV's aim with these actions is to raise public awareness of the challenges posed by planetary defense and bring all the public closer to the technological and scientific breakthroughs that make it possible to protect our planet against space threats.