A whole day of events dedicated to Space will be organised in Washington by the Embassy of Italy which, in collaboration with ICE Agency, Asi, Space Foundation, Chamber of Commerce and George Washington University, will host the main leaders of the space sector.
“Italy is a reliable and trusted partner of the US in the space sector”, said the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, emphasising that Italy was “the first major European country to sign a bilateral agreement with NASA, and the first to adhere to the Artemis agreements”. She added: “Our traditional cooperation in the International Space Station and in many exploration and research projects highlights the excellence of Italian expertise in technological solutions in space and in other sectors”.
Tom Zelibor, CEO of the Space Foundation, added that “there are no limits to the scope and opportunities offered by the global space economy. The Italian space community has already demonstrated visionary leadership in the development of new technologies and in business creation. The Italian story deserves greater recognition, particularly for the many doors it continues to open”.
The National Space Day will open with a meeting between US and Italian companies in the sector. In parallel, the Italian Embassy will host an event dedicated to Italian and US American high school students during which there will be astronaut Luca Parmitano on a video feed. It will be an opportunity to select some postcards written and designed by the students themselves, which will then be launched into space on Blue Origin’s “New Shepard” rocket and later returned to the students with the “Flown to Space” stamp.
The day will end with a reception attended, among others, by Ambassador Mariangela Zappia and Chirag Parikh, Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary of the National Space Council. Throughout the day, it will be possible to visit the ‘Looking beyond’ exhibition organised by MAECI and the Italian Space Agency in collaboration with Telespazio and e-GEOS. Through the display of spectacular satellite images, the exhibition provides an opportunity to reflect on the contribution of space technologies to Earth observation, with a view to sustainability.
For more information on the event, please visit the website of the Italian Embassy in Washington (“National Space Day” at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. (esteri.it)
