The Embassy of Italy in Washington, in collaboration with Ice - Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalisation of Italian companies, the Italian Space Agency (Asi), NASA, the National Institute of Astrophysics (Inaf) and the U.S. Space Foundation, hosted a new edition of the 'National Space Day' on 13 December.
"This event shows how Italy continues to play a leading role in the space sector: our country is a technological partner of excellence for the United States, with which we have increasingly intense strategic collaborations. The Embassy is proud to have hosted an appointment, which has now become traditional, that allows our companies and scientific institutions to create new collaborations with their US counterparts," said the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Mariangela Zappia.
Underlining the growing importance of this event, Ice Agency President Matteo Zoppas spoke during the day with a message in support of innovation and collaborations that drive technological and industrial progress between Italy and the United States.
During the event at the Embassy, Virgin Galactic, Enac and Aeroporti di Puglia, with the support of the Puglia Region, announced the signing of a feasibility study to define the conditions for Virgin Galactic to carry out commercial suborbital operations in Italy, using the Grottaglie spaceport, starting in the short to medium term. This is a significant step for Italy in the suborbital flight sector.
During the course of the day - during which Chirag Parikh, Executive Secretary of the National Space Council, spoke - there were presentations dedicated to international collaborations and projects by Nasa, which wanted to participate as a partner in the event, also with its own stand. The thematic panels in the afternoon offered an overview of the evolution of the space sector, combining research, innovation and market prospects, with a particular emphasis on present and future projects in the field of astrophysics involving Nasa and Italy.
Throughout the day, 21 Italian aerospace companies together with Ice Agenzia, ASI, Nasa and Inaf were the protagonists of a real fair hosted at the Embassy.
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