From 7 to 9 September, Italy participated for the first time as Partner Country in the Bangalore Space Expo, one of India’s leading events dedicated to the space industry and technologies. Italy was represented by a prominent institutional and industrial delegation. The event was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in collaboration with ISRO (the Indian Space Research Organisation, responsible for the country’s main space missions and research and development activities), IN-SPACe (the body tasked with promoting, facilitating and authorising the activities of private-sector operators) and NSIL (the public-sector company responsible for commercialising the capabilities and technologies developed by India’s space sector).
The opening ceremony on 7 September was attended by Ambassador Bartoli, alongside ISRO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Space Narayanan, IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka, and the Ambassadors of the United States and Australia.
The Italian presence centred on the National Pavilion organised by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA/ICE), which brought together eight companies representing different segments of the space industry value chain: 2NDSPACE, EIE Group, Leaf Space, Leonardo, Officina Stellare, SICILSAT Communications, Società Aerospaziale Mediterranea and Zoppas Industries.
As Ambassador Bartoli emphasised during the mission, space is one of the priority areas of the Special Strategic Partnership between Italy and India and of the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029. Cooperation is focused on five main areas: relations between the two space agencies; scientific research; multilateral coordination; industrial cooperation; and the strengthening of the bilateral institutional framework through a dedicated space dialogue between the respective Ministries and competent authorities.
“The aim is to develop a more structured partnership that goes beyond the mere supply of technologies and focuses instead on joint research and development projects, manufacturing, and access to international markets, building on the complementarities between the two countries’ industrial and technological ecosystems”, noted Giandomenico Milano, Italian Consul General in Bangalore.
