The Diplomat
Every 16 December, Italy celebrates the start of the Italian adventure in space, which began with the launch in 1964 of the S. Marco 1 satellite, making Italy the third country, after the United States and the Soviet Union, to put into orbit an artificial satellite manufactured entirely in Italy.
Through significant institutional and industrial commitment, over time Italy has acquired leading positions in the sector worldwide, being among the few nations in the world to have a complete space supply chain of products and competences. Italian leadership is based on the capabilities developed by the various actors in the sector (research institutions, universities and the industrial chain) and on a broad spectrum of enabling technologies, ranging from the manufacturing of systems (satellites, launchers, inhabited infrastructures, etc.) to the operational management of space centres and the provision of services in various areas of civil society (security, environmental monitoring, transport, telecommunications, science, control of critical infrastructures, etc.).
Witness to this excellence is the Artemis 1 mission, launched on 16 November last, to lay the foundations for future Artemis Project missions for the return of man to the Moon and for the exploration of Mars. Thanks to its technological capabilities, Italy participated in the mission by providing the Argomoon satellite, the only European satellite to enter lunar orbit with Artemis 1, and with a fundamental contribution to the development of the Orion spacecraft, which successfully returned to Earth on 12 December after 24 days in space.
In this context, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is committed to supporting the internationalisation of national companies active in the sector through the numerous initiatives carried out by its diplomatic-consular network on the occasion of National Space Day, in close coordination with the main institutional and private actors in the sector, starting with the Italian Space Agency. This year, in addition to dozens of events, conferences, competitions and promotional initiatives, more than 50 venues will display the exhibition Looking Beyond, promoted by Farnesina in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency and Telespazio/e-GEOS and curated by Filippo Maggia.
