The trade organisation that brings Italy to the world, and the world to Italy

The Italian aerospace industry plays a strong role in both Italy’s national and international economy. Space is one of the high-tech sectors in which the country holds a global leadership position, ranking fourth in Europe and seventh worldwide. 

Space and aerospace activities carried out in Italy generate €13 billion in revenue and employ more than 64,000 people. Italy belongs to the exclusive club of spacefaring nations that have a complete supply chain and a full range of expertise in the field. With an exceptionally articulated industrial value chain, the Italian space industry offers virtually everything: companies that specialise in large and complex system integration, about 200 small and medium-sized companies engaged in upstream and downstream activities and a range of innovative start-ups able to stay ahead of new technology trends. Italy’s public-private collection of 12 technology clusters has also helped propel the country’s presence on the world aerospace stage.

To foster the image of Italy as a country of innovative excellence, the Italian Trade Agency – the governmental agency in charge of promoting the “made in Italy” brand across the world – has launched an awareness campaign entitled “There is a Lot of Space in Italy”, now in its second year of activation.

The campaign is designed to underline the leading global role of the Italian aerospace industry, particularly its major partner, the Italian Space Agency, or ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana), and raise its recognition among US aerospace operators.

Currently ranked among the six most important space agencies in the world, Italy is the third largest contributor to the European Space Agency (ESA), after France and Germany.

ASI’s strength in diplomacy is reflected in its collaborations with all the major space agencies, including NASA. Notably, Italy has played a key role in the construction of more than 40 per cent of the Western living quarters of the International Space Station (ISS). In the past two decades, the Italian scientific community has achieved remarkable success in astrophysics and cosmology, contributing to our understanding of the origins of the universe and gamma ray bursts.

In Earth observation, Italy is at the forefront of technology, with radar systems such as COSMO-SkyMed, which aids in understanding our planet. Italy is also technologically advanced in nanosatellites, which will be instrumental to future space exploration.

The Moon is the next target for human exploration, and Italy is actively participating in this endeavour through the ASI. Italy has made agreements to build orbiting habitation modules, a descent system to the lunar surface, and habitation modules for Moon missions. Italy has played a leading role in human spaceflight, with its astronauts earning a presence on the International Space Station.

In addition to human spaceflight, Italy is also a major contributor to the scientific community, with collaborations on two European probes, JUICE and Euclid. JUICE will study the moons of Jupiter, while Euclid aims to produce a 3D map of the universe and gather information on dark energy and dark matter.

During 2023 the Italian Trade Agency, in collaboration with ASI and the Italian embassy in Washington, is promoting a series of initiatives that will culminate in the organisation of the International Astronautical Congress, to be held in Milan in October 2024.

In 2023, for the second year in a row, the Italian Trade Agency has developed four event-attendance projects developed in collaboration with the Italian embassy in the US to enhance the role of Italy in the global aerospace community.

An Italian national pavilion is to be present at the major US aerospace events: Spacecom Expo (Orlando, FL), Satellite (Washington DC), Space Symposium (Colorado Springs, CO) and Space Tech (Long Beach, CA). 2023 will also witness an aerospace vertical acceleration program dedicated to Italian innovative start-ups, and a roadshow that will visit the US states of Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama.

Aside from its active presence at some of the industry’s most important trade shows and conferences, the ITA works 365 days of the year, providing 360 degrees of business development and trade promotion assistance to industry-leading Italian-based companies aiming to excel in the US market. It has worked with more than 150 companies, producing dedicated webinars, specially crafted market research reports, custom marketing campaigns and precise B2B management efforts. 

The Italian Trade Agency serves not only as a first point of contact for Italian companies looking to promote their applications in the US. It’s also available to and ready to assist US partners in search of a European headquarters. The ITA’s Rome headquarters has a foreign direct investment (FDI) team that works tirelessly to create incentive packages to display the many advantages of expanding into Italy. In addition, upon relocating in Italy, US and other companies are automatically eligible to receive dedicated assistance to help ensure long-term success from the ITA’s catalogue of more than 25 world-class personalised assistance services. Italy’s network of 11 regional clusters also helps ensure a swift and sound integration into local industry for sustained success.  

Italy is among the top ten suppliers for the US in global terms in the aerospace sector. Its market share is 3 per cent – a total value that, in 2022, exceeded $1.2 billion, demonstrating ample potential for the development of ever-greater commercial opportunities.

Italy continues to be a driving force in the global space race, with significant contributions across a wide range of fields. With its participation in upcoming Moon missions and its leading role in scientific collaborations, the country is sure to continue its ascent as a major player in the world of space exploration.

Download the complete catalogue of the Italian Space Industry here 

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