Bellanca Andrea

The DART Lab – Deep-space Astrodynamics Research & Technology Laboratory is a research laboratory focused on the development of advanced technologies and methodologies for deep-space exploration, with particular emphasis on interplanetary missions and small spacecraft.

The laboratory integrates expertise in astrodynamics, mission design, and autonomous Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) to enable spacecraft capable of operating with increasing independence from ground control.

The main research areas include:

• Advanced astrodynamics and mission design, including trajectory optimization and multi-body dynamics analysis.
• Autonomous Guidance, Navigation and Control, developing innovative algorithms for optical navigation, orbit determination, and onboard autonomous control in deep space.
• Interplanetary CubeSats and small spacecraft, with compact and highly integrated system architectures.
• High-fidelity simulation and Digital Twin environments, including Hardware-In-the-Loop platforms for experimental validation.
• End-to-end mission development, from early concept definition to operational support.

DART Lab participates in and leads national and international research projects, working with space agencies and industry partners to advance onboard autonomy and enable sustainable deep-space exploration missions.

The Role of the Project Manager in a Space Mission

Within a space mission, the Project Manager is responsible for the overall coordination of the project and for ensuring that its objectives are successfully achieved. The role involves overseeing the technical, organizational, and financial aspects of the mission throughout all its phases.

In a highly complex environment, where every design decision affects the entire system and no direct intervention is possible after launch, the Project Manager ensures a coherent and integrated vision of the project. This includes supervising system integration, managing risks, and maintaining alignment between technical performance, schedule, and available resources.

In deep-space missions, this responsibility becomes even more strategic, as it requires careful management of uncertainty, long operational timelines, and the need for increased spacecraft autonomy. The Project Manager plays a key role in ensuring robustness, reliability, and mission success.

Andrea Bellanca

Andrea is Program Manager of the DART Lab and Project Manager of complex space missions, with a solid background in systems engineering and experience gained within the European space industry, where he has worked on complex cryogenic and thermo-fluid dynamic systems for space launchers and hydrogen infrastructures.

Throughout his career, he has contributed to major European programs, including Ariane 6, Vega-C, Vega-E, Maia, EU-BEST, and PADA1 (HyPrSpace), operating in environments characterized by high technical and programmatic complexity. In these contexts, he has coordinated multidisciplinary teams and managed critical interfaces between subsystems, ensuring that ambitious performance objectives were translated into safe, reliable, and practically implementable solutions.

His approach combines hands-on engineering experience with a strong systemic vision. Particular attention is devoted to a deep understanding of the physical phenomena governing the behavior of complex systems, with the aim of anticipating critical issues, preventing bottlenecks, and ensuring design robustness throughout the entire development lifecycle. This technical sensitivity forms the foundation of his contribution to the management of highly complex and innovation-driven programs.