Salvo Marcuccio graduated in Aeronautical Engineering and got his PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Pisa in 1996. In 1999 he co-founded Alta SpA, an SME active in the space propulsion sector, and served as CEO and, until 2013, as VP for business development. He is presently an Associate Professor of Aerospace Systems at UniPi, where he helped establish the MSc in Space Engineering and teaches courses on ‘Fundamentals of Spacecraft Technology’ and ‘Space Systems’. His main research interests include electric propulsion (field emission thrusters), space mission design (trajectory analysis, energy management, vehicle architecture), small and micro-satellites. In 2018 he established the Space Systems Laboratory at UniPi and started a programme of experimental activities in the field of high-altitude platforms and lighter-than-air systems, with more than 20 successful stratospheric flights so far. He is the PI of the EXCITE IoD/IoV microsatellite mission (Alcor programme, ASI). Prof. Marcuccio is a member of the board of ToscanaSpazio, the regional association of aerospace companies and research institutes, and a member of the scientific committee of the Tuscan aerospace district GATE 4.0.