How Italy is gaining ground in the space race
Centuries ago, Italian visionaries dreamed of taking to the sky. Today, inventors are aiming further, beyond our atmosphere, and into space. But how far has Italian space innovation come since those first theories?
Space has been the subject of intrigue for generations. An entity with no known borders, it has always posed questions of equal magnitude. What would it feel like to break the layers of the atmosphere? To be in zero gravity? To look down on Earth? While in the early days of space exploration, the United States and the Soviet Union dominated space exploration, Italy was never too far behind.
Italy was the third country in the world to achieve a successful satellite launch program, sending San Marco 1 into orbit in 1964 – just seven years after Sputnik. And it has been gaining momentum ever since. Thanks to skilled space engineers and advanced space technologies, the Italian aerospace industry now generates the seventh highest revenue in the world.
A tradition of breakthroughs
From Amalia Ercoli Finzi, the first woman to graduate in Aeronautical Engineering in Italy in 1962, to Samantha Cristoforetti, the first European astronaut to go outside of the International Space Station in 2022, Italy has been breeding a tradition of space ingenuity for decades. So much so, it is home to one of only sixteen global space agencies with launch capability: the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI).
Today, the ASI plays an important role in the international space research community, having already contributed to several projects that have altered our perception of the solar system.
The PRISMA satellite, for instance, represents the most advanced spacecraft of its kind so far. Using electro-optical tools and hyperspectral sensors, it monitors the environmental properties of the Earth so ground teams can determine the necessary actions to reverse the damaging effects of global warming.
The ASI is also the third highest contributor to the European Space Agency (ESA), having funded revolutionary projects like the CHaracterizing ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) which uses an Italian-designed telescope to detect changes in the brightness of stars. And the Mars Express orbiter which first discovered water on Mars with the help of the Italian innovation: the MARSIS radar.
Disruptive space innovations
It’s not just government agencies that are major players in Italy’s space exploration, but private businesses too.
The Italian aerospace sector is made up of 514 active businesses, of which 28 are registered start-ups. Rooted in innovation, they are having an impact that is just as transformative as their larger business counterparts.
One Italian start-up disrupting the aerospace sector is D-Orbit, the first company to ever address the logistics needs of the space market. It deploys proprietary technologies to enable the optimization of operations both in orbit and on the ground, including last-mile satellite delivery, orbital transportation and servicing, and space waste management.
Our products and services will lead to the creation of a space logistics infrastructure that will broaden humankind’s possibilities to operate in space.
Luca Rossenttini, CEO and Founder of D-Orbit
Investing in the future of discovery
Whether it’s AI-based software for space mission automation or a robotic arm for space applications, aerospace start-ups are the future. They stand to better the world we live in by improving their knowledge of the one beyond our own. And it is for this reason that Italy is protecting the integrity of their business vision.
In February 2022, Primomiglio announced an $86 million closing investment of Primo Space, the first-ever Italian venture capital fund to focus on advancing early-stage space tech projects.
As Enrico Resmini, CEO of CDP Venture Capital SGR National Innovation Fund, says, “Primo Space represents an important opportunity to support technological innovation in our country.” And to drive economic growth: “The Space Economy is a sector of primary importance in Italy, with a turnaround of $2 billion and with over 7,000 employees throughout the supply chain. Until now, a specialized venture capital fund was missing.”
Italy has always been a humble contributor to space research. But thanks to years of enhanced innovation, collaboration, and investment, it now stands to lead the way in intergalactic exploration. Representing worldwide excellence within the aerospace sector, Italian pioneers are on the precipice of discovering the most unknown territories of the universe.