The development of the aerospace industry in Italy seems to be taking center stage, particularly in the city of Turin and Piedmont. The opening of the vertical accelerator Takeoff and the incubator ESA Bic Turin by the European Space Agency in the Piedmontese capital seems to be just the first step in this direction.
According to Angelo Cavallo, director of Milan Polytechnic's Space Economy Observatory, Italy has great potential in the space economy sector and could become self-sufficient. This would represent a second opportunity for Italy, after it missed the opportunity in the digital sector. Turin and Piedmont could be the hub of this developmentthanks to the presence of many prominent aerospace companies, such as Thales Alenia Space, which works with NASA and ESA, and Argotec, which developed the ArgoMoon microsatellite.
Thales Alenia Space recently signed a contract with the Italian Space Agency to develop Space Factory 4.0, a system of interconnected space factories in Italy that will be operational by 2026. The consortium will implement automation and process digitization systems to build advanced satellites, particularly in the micro and small satellite sector.
The Space Factory will offer the specific means and tools to produce advanced satellites in a wide range of sizes, from large satellite infrastructures of a few hundred kilograms to satellites of a few tens of kilogramsSpace Factory 4.0 realities will be located in several Italian regions, including Piedmont with Argotec, the Lazio region with Thales Alenia Space, the Campania region with Cira, the Puglia and the Tuscany regions with Sitael.
Thales Alenia Space is also a partner in ESA Bic Turin along with other major companies, and together they have already incubated 15 industry startups from around the world. ESA Bic Turin is an incubation program with the aim of promoting the development of an attractive local ecosystem for the growing space entrepreneurship and for the actors that revolve around it. Politecnico di Torino is committed to supporting the technological development of these companies to increase their opportunities for growth and market establishment.
