Italy and Space

Galileo Galilei

Italy has given birth to some of the most brilliant minds in the last centuries. The unbelievable dreams of those people have led to reaching some of the most significant milestones in the history of science and, still today, inspire people who want to con tribute to human knowledge.

 

“It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon” Galileo Galilei , 1610

 

“I think space is the essential future of humanity. We know very little about it, and we are like children in the first steps. Nobody knows what this baby’s going to do when he grows up.” Luigi Broglio

 

“Space missions are both scientific, technological, industrial, and political matters. If you don’t tune all four of these components, the system doesn’t work.” Franco Egidio Malerba, First Italian Astronaut

 

According to the European Space Agency (ESA) today Italy is the 6th leading global space power, with total space industry revenue amounting to €2.23 billion in 2018.

  • 30 UNIVERSITIES
  • +10.000 STUDENTS IN AEROSPACE ENG
  • 514 COMPANIES
  • 53 RESEARCH CENTRES
  • 47.300 EMPLOYEES

(source: Italian Trade Agency)

 

ITALIAN RECORDS IN SPACE

  • 1964 – San Marco 1 is the first satellite launched by a European country (not USSR or USA)
  • Samantha Cristoforetti: until June 2017, she held the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (199d16h)
  • Italy is the first European country for spaceflight time: the Italian astronauts spent 766h in orbit (April 2018)
  • In 2019 the Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano returned to the International Space Station for his second mission as the ISS commander.

 

Italy in space

Milan is considered the economic hub of Italy and the region is also extremely active in space missions and leader in Italy for some specific space systems and technologies. The first Italian satellite for telecommunications, Sirio, was designed under the impulse of Professor Francesco Carassa of Politecnico di Milano.
The first Italian minisatellite was designed by Carlo Gavazzi Space, now OHB Italia, in its premises in Milano. The drill of Rosetta mission, SD2, was manufactured by Galileo Avionica, now Leonardo. The local site of Thales Alenia Space is leader in space navigation systems.The aerospace industry in Lombardia, the region whose capital is the city of Milan, boasts expertise and technology in helicopter, aeronautics and space sectors. Within a few kilometers, highly specialized companies are concentrated, both large and SMEs. They produce helicopters, airplanes and satellites fromstart to finish, from avionics to materials, from equipment to components and services, advanced devices.
Also thanks to the continuous collaboration with universities and research centers. The aerospace sector in the region is represented by more than 220 companies for a round 16,000 employees, generating around 6 billion euros of annual turnover and an export around 1.7 billion euros.
At the historical industrial presence, we must add 4 universities and 2 research centers.
The regional aerospace system, through the Lombardia Aerospace Cluster, is developing a united and collective identity in this sector, constantly evolving through national and international networking, innovation and competitive growth.
Aerospace companies are structured along three main product lines: Trainer Aircraft, Helicopters, Satellites and Scientific Payloads.