(To Andrea pinto) It seems to be witnessing a football derby, but it is not so because the interests are certainly greater with repercussions on the economies of the competing countries. Italy e France are trying to position themselves within theEuropean Union as new leading players given that Germany, after the Merkel era, begins to show faint signs of veiled decadence.
A new challenge, yes Spazio, is attracting the countries that more than the others are investing and dedicating their own resources paper national strategies. On 23 November, during the ministerial meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA), the common development policies for the next three years will be defined. Leading among the projects under evaluation is that of pitchers where Italy boasts a prestigious world position and where the aim is to invest more and more in the development of space economy. In this niche sector we are currently in seventh place in the world for expenditure committed and fifth after the United States, France, Japan and China for resources dedicated to innovation.
La space economy Italian is encouraging the birth of new ones startups thanks to the caliber of the investments committed thanks also to the conspicuous dedicated funds of the EU. France has sensed the new outlet to reinvigorate the domestic economy by announcing last year the development of Maia, a small reusable launcher made by the Franco-German giant ArianeGroup. A program that goes hand in hand with the Italian one, the most famous and used Vega, Manufactured by Avio based in colleferro in the province of Rome.
Following the chords descending from Treaty of the Quirinale Italy and France had agreed that the marketing of the launchers was entrusted exclusively to Arianspace, which is in turn owned by ArianeGroup. The announcement came shortly after the signature between the then Minister for Innovation, Vittorio Colao, and his French counterpart, Bruno Le Maire: the agreement concerned the joint development of the launchers and in particular of the models Ariane 6, used to bring satellites into high orbit, e Vega C., used for small to medium satellites in low orbit.
The ambitious deal has enabled theThat to manage 1,3 billion of the Italian Pnrr destined for space, on the initiative of the former minister Colao himself. A wicked choice because it could allow France to take advantage of Italian funds if it manages to make the development of its projects a priority over the Italian ones within the ESA.
An initial solution was proposed, writes Domani, by Mario Draghi, who had asked France to also involve Italian industry in the implementation of the Maia project, so as to develop together an alternative to the Falcon di Elon Musk. However, the requests of the then Italian prime minister remained unheeded and according to Il Sole 24 Ore the question could end up on the table of theEuropean antitrust, in the event of no agreement in the ministerial meeting of 23 November.
Rome needs a solution quickly because Italy should contribute to ESA projects with a budget of 2,8 billion for the next five years. Part of this money comes from the annual resources already available to theItalian Space Agency – ASI – and other reserve funds, but the budget law to be approved by the end of the year must block another billion for the next three years. The timing is therefore important for the Meloni government, which has decided to entrust the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, presidency of the Interministerial Committee for policies relating to space and aerospace research.
Urso is a more political figure than his predecessor, but he is certainly no stranger to the subject. As president of Copasir he has already dealt with space, signing a long report in July 2021 in which he highlighted the need to continue investing in the space economy in order not to fall behind British and German companies, as well as French ones. Urso had focused precisely on the competition with Paris in the launcher sector, in which Italy boasts an excellent position, and in particular on the success of the Vega.
According to Copasir, the improvements from the national industry have caused political reactions in Paris, which sees a potential competitor to Ariane in the Avio project.