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Iride, Space Factory, and more. Here’s how Italy will take off in the space economy with the Pnrr

Iride, Space Factory, and more. Here's how Italy will take off in the space economy with the Pnrr

We are in the space economy, an era in which infrastructures are functional to a plurality of services that will generate more and more development and growth. The role of Pnrr investments. The article by Massimo Claudio Comparini, CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia, taken from the new issue of the quarterly Start Magazine

Space is an extraordinary adventure that has developed and grown over the years through highly successful scientific and application programs and thanks to the impetus and coordination of space agencies, first and foremost in our context the Italian and European ones, however underlining the traditional and important link with the United States and NASA, which have allowed the consolidation of one of the most advanced industrial sectors in the world.

Space is now widely recognized as a strategic activity due to the impetus it gives both to technological progress and to the development and transition of economic systems, for example, by contributing decisively to models linked to climate change and in general to the evolution of planet by observation from space. The Space Economy represents, together with digital technologies, one of the most promising engines for the country's growth in the knowledge economy, and for this reason a clear strategy of action and a long-term plan have been implemented over the years. The value of the economy of space has been central in articulating the National Recovery and Resilience Plan ( Pnrr ) with the allocation of significant resources to significant projects and an important contribution to the growth of the country's investments in the sector.

This strategy was favored and supported by the aerospace governance reform of a few years ago and the creation, together with a specific delegated role at political level, of an inter-ministerial committee for space-related policies which resulted in the two recent ministerial conferences in Seville in 2019 and Paris in 2022 to a strong increase in the country's weight in the European panorama. As a direct consequence, today Italy leads, or has a particularly significant role, many of the most important European missions.

This framework represents a formidable enabler to ensure the conditions for the development of the entire industrial chain and in particular of qualified small and medium-sized enterprises and innovative start-ups. A development also supported by an effective systemic action of the various aerospace districts, and of the national technological cluster, primary players in the territories and whose results appear evident and factual.

We are fully in the space economy, an era in which infrastructures enable and are functional to a plurality of services that already give, but will give more and more, development and economic growth. It therefore appears particularly important after the Paris ministerial how the first months of 2023 have laid the foundations for the take-off of important projects in the coming years, through the acceleration of the Pnrr. Pnrr investments in the space sector can be traced back to 4 main lines:

• SatCom: investing in secure satellite communications is a priority which, beyond responding to the operational needs of our security forces, aims to provide innovative telecommunications services in the future and with the use of technologies that are maturing today, primarily quantum technologies, and architectures based on geostationary structures and through low latency global constellations.

• Earth Observation: build a dedicated infrastructure, the Iride system, which federated with the existing infrastructures, first and second generation Cosmo Skymed, Prisma and the sensors of the Copernicus programme, will provide a series of services concerning land management, environmental issues and emergencies, the monitoring of infrastructures, the safety of cultural and archaeological heritage, just to mention a few examples.

• Space Factory: increase the investment capacity in space access systems and green propulsion technologies with innovative projects led by Avio as well as, through a dedicated line, develop smart factories for the production of space assets and small satellites, using the technologies digital for a federated production capacity in the world's cutting-edge space field. Tas Italia leads the creation of its own new federated integration site connected with factories in the supply chain, Argotec and Sitael, and the highly qualified participation of the Italian Center for Aerospace Research in Capua.

• In-Orbit Economy: through a first demonstration mission, to promote the so-called in-orbit services, i.e. the possibility of working in orbit for the maintenance and extension of the operational life of space assets, to assemble infrastructures, to remove fragments or debris and return therefore the space environment is sustainable especially in low orbit.

The envelope of such programs and investments in the space sector enables a growth of highly specialized employment, the development of state-of-the-art systems and technologies, the emergence of new models of economic development.

By way of example, we can mention the development for the Italian Space Agency of an "aircraft" for the In Orbit Service led by Thales Alenia Space Italia with a consortium that includes Leonardo, for the construction of a sophisticated robotic arm, Avio, for the module propulsive, Telespazio for operations, Altec and D-Orbit. This composite aircraft will make possible one of the first In Orbit Services missions by testing the various functions in orbit. A team that expresses the best synthesis of the experience and skills of realities that have always been protagonists of complex space projects, as well as of the new emerging space companies. The complementarities between the actors involved will allow for the construction of the space of the future, the possibility of working in low orbit to maintain space structures, extend their operational life, assemble complex structures and remove debris.

More generally, space technologies have become key to addressing global challenges such as the sustainability of planet Earth, climate change, supporting hyper-connected economies and the security of our communities. Numerous space-related services are increasingly data-driven and pave the way for new business models, on Earth, in orbit and even in space exploration.

Finally, let us not forget that for a cutting-edge space industry, capable of facing the challenges of the sector, innovation is a key element for maintaining and strengthening competitiveness by favoring contamination and opportunities from other sectors. And in this regard, the large space companies such as Leonardo's Space Alliance, Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, interpret the need not only to strengthen the network of current collaborations, but also to expand relationships in particular with research institutions, startups and SMEs, in order to facilitate and expand the vital link between research, innovation and the industrial sector.

We are strongly aware that, in all of this, Italy can and must be the engine of development in Europe and in the world, an actor with an essential role along the entire value chain, from the conception of a mission to the design and manufacture of space assets , from data analysis to service delivery, from space access to launch operations. We work every day in the factories of the country's space companies to always be at the cutting edge of technology and develop the space economy.

Article extracted from the latest issue of the quarterly Start Magazine, here to download


This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/iride-space-factory-e-non-solo-ecco-come-litalia-decollera-nella-space-economy-con-il-pnrr/ on Thu, 17 Aug 2023 05:55:54 +0000.