WASHINGTON (USA) (ITALPRESS) – The fourth edition of the Italian Space Day 2025, entitled “Next Frontiers”, was held at the Italian Embassy in Washington.
A day of confrontation between institutions, industry and research, conceived as a moment of relaunching bilateral collaboration and sharing common vision towards a more innovative, sustainable and accessible space economy.
The ambassador of Italy in the United States, Marco Peronaci, remarked the increasing role of the country in the international scene: “Italy wants to be the protagonist of the new space race that in the United States is experiencing a phase of great transformation and new opportunities for our enterprises. The Italian Space Day in Washington gives concrete implementation to the strategic partnership Italy-United States and the priorities of the Trump-Meloni Declaration last April”.
At the fourth edition, the event was organized with the contribution of Leonardo, SpaceX, Axiom Space, VAST, AIAA, Space Foundation, Astrolab, Seed2Table and Intuitive Machines. More than a conference, Next Frontiers set up as a real international Pitch Day: a narrative format where innovation becomes a tool for diplomatic dialogue and where spatial technologies are presented as an integral part of economic cooperation between the two countries. The structure of the Embassy was transformed into an immersive environment with institutional videos, multimedia installations and digital countdowns that accompanied the interventions of astronauts, experts, economists and investors.
On the day, Mr Deborah Bergamini and several representatives of U.S. space authorities took part, including Taylor Jordan (Department of Commerce), Juan Andres Caro (Department of State) and Casey Swails (NASA). A qualified audience, enriched by representatives of industry, congress and U.S. administration, confirms the focus on Italy’s role as a strategic technological actor in the new economy of space.
Sixteen Italian companies – from ALTEC to CIRA, from D-Orbit to Telespazio, to Kayser Italia, Leaf Space, Vanzetti Engineering and many others – presented projects ranging from technologies for life and work on the Moon to propulsion systems for interplanetary missions, from intelligent robotics to advanced materials for Martian habitats. A mosaic of skills that describes Italian participation in the future human presence in space and the contribution to the construction of a more efficient and sustainable interplanetary ecosystem.
The event arrives at a crucial moment for the Italian sector. With the recent agreement between ASI and SpaceX, Italy became the first international partner involved in commercial missions to Mars, entering the Starship program. A result that testifies to the solidity of the national supply chain and the scientific and technological credibility of the country. Currently more than sixty Italian companies operate in aerospace in the United States, with hubs in Texas, California and Florida, collaborating with American partners in the areas of electric propulsion, additive manufacturing and Earth observation.
Italy’s role in aerospace supplies to the United States is growing steadily. Between 2022 and 2024, exports increased from 1,15 to 1,58 billion dollars (+27.3%), with a market share from 3.3% to 3.8%. In the first seven months of 2025, the value reached 971 million dollars, an increase of 4.6% compared to the same period of 2024, with a share up to 4.1%.
The United States is today the largest non-European market in the sector, absorbing more than 40% of total exports. In Italy the aerospace sector generates more than 7 billion euros a year and employs more than 40 thousand professionals, with an investment rate of more than 10%, one of the highest in Europe.
The Italian Space Day – after institutional greetings and a networking lunch – hosted a live pitch session of Italian companies, along with the interventions of the astronauts of Axiom Space, Walter Villadei and Michael López-Alegría, and the space economist George Pullen. The day closed with a reception organized in collaboration with SpaceX, symbol of a shared path that aims to strengthen transatlantic alliances and to enhance the Italian contribution to the new global space economy.
-Photo xp6/Italpress-
(ITALPRESS).
