The San Marco Project Research Centre (CRPSM) is a research centre of the University of Rome "La Sapienza", and represents the continuation of the San Marco Project which, instituted in 1962 by his founding father, Prof. Luigi Broglio, marked the beginning and the earliest substantial development of Italian space activities bringing Italy to be the third country in the world, after Russia and United States, to send a satellite in orbit (San Marco I, 1964).
In 1964 CRPSM set up an operational base in Kenya (today L. Broglio Space Centre) comprising a launch base on sea platforms and a ground base equipped with TT&C (Tracking, Telemetry and Command) and Remote Sensing stations. The Broglio Space Centre (BSC) has been the world first launch base located near the equator for obtaining equatorial orbit with a minimum energy expenses. From this site 9 satellites and 20 sounding rockets have been launched up to the 1988. Four of the satellites were Italian, 4 from US and 1 from UK.

The CRPSM is currently engaged in:

    * aerospace related research projects conducted autonomously;
    * scientific and technological space research programmes in collaboration with domestic and international organizations;
    * development and optimisation studies of the technological resources available at BSC;
    * support operations for scientific and technological programmes carried out at its Telemetry, Tracking, & Command, and Remote Sensing Stations.
    * training courses.