The Italian Space Agency (ASI), created in 1988, is a national public body supervised by the Ministry of University and Research which has the task of preparing and implementing the Italian space policy in accordance with the Governments directives set by the “Interministerial Committee for Space and Aerospace Policies” (COMINT).
The Italian Space Agency (ASI), created in 1988, is a national public body supervised by the Ministry of University and Research which has the task of preparing and implementing the Italian space policy in accordance with the Governments directives set by the “Interministerial Committee for Space and Aerospace Policies” (COMINT).
In less than two decades, ASI is recognized as one of the most important global stakeholders on the scene of space science, satellite technologies and development of means to reach and explore the universe. Today the Italian Space Agency plays a leading role both at a European level, where Italy is the third major contributor to the European Space Agency (ESA), and at a global level with many international partners. Just to mention one, it has a long-standing relationship with NASA, which has led ASI to take part in some of the most interesting scientific missions in recent years. One of the most fascinating international projects was the Italian contribution to the construction and design of the modules of the International Space Station.
Thanks to ASI’s efforts, the Italian scientific community has obtained unprecedented successes in the field of astrophysics and cosmology in the last decades and has contributed, among other things, to reconstruct the first moments of life in the Universe, taking essential steps towards understanding the phenomenon of gamma-ray bursts and the mysterious sources of gamma-rays.
Furthermore, ASI contributed significantly to space exploration by building scientific tools which are aboard NASA and ESA probes to discover the secrets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. And there will be a piece of Italy in all the major missions planned for the next few years – from Venus to the comets, up to the extreme limits of our solar system.
In addition to studying the Universe, from space you can observe Earth to prevent and predict – for example – environmental disasters, ensure fast interventions in crisis areas, measure the effects of climate change. Italy is at the forefront also in these areas, with systems such as the Cosmo Sky-Med Earth observation constellation, the flagship of ASI programmes aimed at improving the knowledge of our planet and the hyperspectral national satellite, Prisma.
Through ASI and the Italian industry, Italy continues a research tradition in spacecraft propulsion, in particular as leader of the European programme VEGA, the small rocket designed in Italy. Nowadays, space is no longer just a sector of research, but it’s also an important economic driver. The market of telecommunication and satellite navigation – just to mention an example – is continuously expanding and ASI, with its experience in building and launching satellites into orbit, works so that Italy is ready to seize the opportunities of Space Economy.