The Holy See has announced that it will literally send into “space” a speech given by Pope Francis in 2020. In effect, this is the launching of a space satellite planned by the Holy See

Newsroom (29/03/2023 13:35, Gaudium Press) A project was presented by the Vatican on March 27, that aims to send into space a miniature digital book containing a message from Pope Francis.

The “nano-book” will be launched into space on June 10, 2023 aboard Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket. The Pope’s message will be in orbit at an altitude of 525 km. The launch will take place in California at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

In practice, the digital book is a metal piece of approximately 2mm and will be attached to a mini-satellite the size of a parallelepiped of 34 centimeters and 3 kilos, known as Cube Sat, designed by Italian students from the Polytechnic School of Turin.

A wave transmission system will allow the message to be broadcast in different languages (English, Spanish and Italian) and picked up through the earth at the frequency 437.5 MHz. More technical details can be checked on the official website of the space mission.

The mini book will be protected by sapphire glass capable of withstanding extreme temperatures as well as solar radiation. According to the project, the satellite aims to stay in orbit a maximum of 12 years before disintegrating.

“Spei Satelles” (Satellite of Hope) was the name chosen to christen the space project coordinated by the Vatican, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and other Italian universities.

In fact, Francis’ message, which will gain space, was delivered on March 27, 2020, during the pandemic. At the time, the Holy Father asked the “frightened and lost” world to review “its priorities.”

Giorgio Saccoccia, president of the Italian Space Agency, said the goal is to convey a message of hope beyond earthly borders “to reach as many women and men on our planet as possible.” (FM)

Compiled by Teresa Joseph