To announce the winning name of the "Space for ideas" competition was Samantha Cristoforetti connected by the International Space Station
The name of the future Italian satellite constellation for Earth Observation will be "Iris". This was announced today, directly from the International Space Station, by the Italian astronaut of ESA - European Space Agency, Samantha Cristoforetti, on the occasion of the first media inflight call in which the Minister for Technological Innovation and Digital Transition took part. Vittorio Colao, the Minister of Education, Patrizio Bianchi, the President of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Giorgio Saccoccia, and the Director of Human and Robotics Exploration of ESA, David Parker.
The examining commission, chaired by Samantha Cristoforetti and made up of ESA astronauts Luca Parmitano and Roberto Vittori, chose this name from 1.061 proposals received from 638 schools that participated in "Space for Ideas", the competition launched by the Department for digital transformation with the Ministry of Education and the Italian Space Agency to name the future satellite constellation for Earth Observation in low orbit. The winning schools come from the provinces of Alessandria, Messina, Piacenza and Varese.
“I am very grateful to all the students who took part in this competition. A participation that shows us the enthusiasm and passion of the new generations towards the space sector. We want to continue to stimulate innovation, support research and above all create valuable job opportunities in this area, where Italy boasts a competitive industrial fabric and excellent research centers. Thanks to the huge resources of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, we can relaunch our strategic ambition on Space, in collaboration with ASI, ESA and all the institutional actors involved, to make Italy a leading player in the sector ", declared the Minister for 'Innovation and the digital transition, Vittorio Colao.
“With this competition we asked the students not only to give a name to the future Italian satellite constellation, but also to grasp the essence of this great national project. Through the selected name, we have given identity to an enormous result of European and in particular Italian research. And thanks to this activity with the schools we have experienced first-hand their interest and enthusiasm in the study of disciplines such as physics and mathematics, which are fundamental for understanding what our sky has become today ", declared the Minister of Education, Patrizio Bianchi. .
The awarding of the winners will be held on 1 June 2022 on the occasion of a special event.
What is the Project
The satellite constellation - what will become the most important European low-altitude Earth observation satellite space program - will be built in Italy and completed within five years with the support of ESA - European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency thanks to the resources of the Pnrr. The constellation will also support the Civil Protection and other Administrations to combat hydrogeological instability and fires, protect the coasts, monitor critical infrastructures, air quality and weather conditions. Finally, it will provide analytical data for the development of commercial applications by startups, small and medium-sized enterprises and industries in the sector.