Deputy Minister Marta Dassù met today in Rome with NASA Director Charles Bolden. Bolden’s visit to Italy is a sign of intentions to strengthen and renew bilateral cooperation between Italy and the United States in the field of space, which was already confirmed on the occasion of the signing of a bilateral accord on space exploration and the peaceful use of space (Washington, March 2013).
The meeting offered an opportunity to exchange views on new developments by NASA, for which the International Space Station (ISS) is its main ongoing activity. Italy is the top European investor and participant in the ISS, in cooperation with the European Space Agency. Confirming Italy’s continued commitment to research in the peaceful use of space, Deputy Minister Dassù underscored the importance of the “special relationship” between the U.S. and Italy that counts among its major results Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano’s 6-month mission on the space station.