Italy is also preparing for the great international race for the return to the Moon. Institutions, research laboratories and industries in our country are in fact working on various projects that, in the near future, will be essential to allow human crews to set foot on our natural satellite again and also to build permanent bases for scientific and technological activities. Italian projects include the construction of a habitation module on the Moon, the development of a small nuclear reactor to provide electricity to future human settlements, and also the construction of telecommunications and navigation systems on the lunar surface. This will be discussed at “LarioSpace 2024”, the second edition of the international event on Italian innovations and technologies in the New Space Economy sector, which will take place on 23 and 24 April at the Lario Space Centre, Telespazio’s satellite telecommunications facility in Gera Lario near Lake Como.
Thales Alenia Space plays a global leadership role in the construction of pressurized modules for lunar missions: in fact, in its Turin plant, the company is developing the “Halo”, “I-Hab” and “Esprit” modules for the “Lunar Gateway” cislunar orbiting structure, as well as having recently signed a contract with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) for the start of activities on the “Multi-Purpose Habitat” (MPH) module. Intended to be the first permanent habitation outpost on our satellite. The energy to power human activities on the Moon can instead be produced by a mini-nuclear reactor currently being studied by ENEA as part of the “Selene” project, which aims to develop an innovative energy infrastructure called “Moon Energy Hub” (MEnH). In the future, it will also be necessary to create telecommunications and satellite positioning networks on the Moon, similar to those available on Earth: the “Lunar Communications and Navigation Services” (LCNS) study, entrusted by the European Space Agency (ESA) to an international consortium led by Telespazio, is intended to find a solution for this need.
“This international event that will take place in our region is particularly important because Lombardy has long been a driving force in the aerospace sector, generating a total turnover of 6.3 billion euros,” underlines Alessandro Fermi, Councillor for University, Research and Innovation of the Lombardy Region. “Its exports, amounting to 1 billion euros, represent about a quarter of Italian exports in this sector. These data, referring to 2023 and coming from the Lombardy Aerospace Cluster, testify to the leading role of our region in the national aerospace economy. In addition, and this is particularly close to my heart, this advanced sector is the result of close collaboration between companies, universities and regional research centres, which contribute to constant innovation in this field.”
“In addition to future lunar missions, new projects and initiatives for the development of the New Space Economy market in Italy will be presented during our event,” explains Jonathan Polotto, CEO of Involve Space, the Como-based startup organizer of the event. “In the various scheduled sessions, we will talk, for example, about constellations of microsatellites, space telecommunications, development of new materials, systems for the Internet of Things and equipped with Artificial Intelligence and also about training and dissemination on space issues”. “LarioSpace 2024” is expected to be attended by over three hundred Italian and foreign experts and professionals, including representatives of space institutions and agencies, managers of specialized companies and startups, and also science communicators. The program includes a series of talks, interactive workshops and networking sessions, which allow to foster dialogue between participants, encouraging the exchange of knowledge and the initiation of collaborations. A dedicated area will also be set up for stands to facilitate meetings between entrepreneurs, professionals and stakeholders. The event is organized by Involve Space, an innovative startup that offers stratospheric balloon launch services, with the support of Takeoff Accelerator, the first Italian accelerator dedicated to the aerospace sector. ASI, ENEA and the Lombardy Region have already granted their patronage. Admission to the event is free, subject to online registration on www.lariospace.it.
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