Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) provided the small satellite Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, which tests Earth's defence technology against potential asteroid collisions. This satellite was the first real scale test of kinetic impact technique for planetary defense purposes.

Prerequisites:

• Partnerships with established agencies 

• Technical expertise in universities and research centres to design and exploit experiments

• Identification of common needs with partners, identification of capabilities of different partners

• Procurement pathway

• Partner support as needed

• Data policy

• Cybersecurity, data protection, and continuity planning

Cost:

• Ballpark: USD 0.5M–50M (depending on contribution type: experiment vs payload vs full instrument)

• Includes: partnership agreements and diplomatic engagement, development of joint research or experiment, design and testing of payloads/instruments (e.g., CubeSats, sensors), integration with partner spacecraft or programme, participation in mission operations, researcher training and exchanges, dissemination of scientific results

Timeframe:

• Overall: 24–96 mo

• Phase: partnership scoping & agreements (6–12 mo), experiment or payload design & development (12–36 mo), integration & testing (6–18 mo), launch & commissioning (6–12 mo), mission operations & data analysis (12–24 mo)

Pros:

• Access to Technology and Expertise - Gain access to advanced technology and expertise from leading space nations.

• Reputation Increase - Builds international credibility and technical trust.

Considerations:

• Risk of Ineffectiveness - May play a secondary role with limited influence. Policy Dependency - Dependent on the policies and budgets of leading nations.