Autonomous operations in extreme environments: the AMICA case

An autonomous observatory is being installed at Dome C in Antarctica. It will be constituted by the International Robotic Antarctic Infrared Telescope (IRAIT) and the Antarctic Multiband Infrared CAmera (AMICA). Because of the extreme environment, the whole system has been developed to operate robotically, paying particular attention to the environmental conditions and the subsystems activity monitoring. A detailed description of the IRAIT/AMICA data acquisition process and management will be shown, focusing on automated procedures and solutions against safety risks.

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