Space, a cooperation agreement signed between ASI and the European Space Policy Institute

Today, in Vienna, in the Austrian Parliament, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of his birthEuropean Space Policy Institute (ESPI) A memorandum of understanding was signed betweenItalian Space Agency And Espy. The agreement follows the development of the ASI Office of Studies and Analysis within the Directorate of International Affairs to cooperate on joint research projects. The cooperation agreement with ESPI was among the first agreements signed with the space agency, along with the agreement between the European Space Agency and the Spanish Space Agency. For ASI, the President Professor Teodoro Valente signed the agreement with the Director of ESPI, Hermann Ludwig Müller, in the presence of European parliamentarians at the Inter-Parliamentary Conference held in Vienna, representatives of the European Commission and Euspa, heads of agency of the ESA Member States and other international partners, such as the United States ( NASA), Japan (JAXA) and others.

Through this agreement, ASI wants to offer the country and the national space community the service of analysis and reflection on space policy issues, an activity in which ASI has been involved for years in terms of teaching (MA in Space Institutions and Policies in collaboration with Sioi), tutoring (hospitality for trainees and scholarship holders At ASI) and cultural promotion (conferences and seminars). Among the new activities planned with ESPI, for example, is the desire to “raise awareness” among Italian parliamentarians on policy issues and space economics.

The signing ceremony was preceded by a meeting between ASI and ESPI, where the President of ASI stressed the importance of having the opportunity to work with young European researchers, including many Italians. In fact, ASI has for years funded scholarships at ESPI for studies and research in European space policy. The meeting witnessed the participation of Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from the European Space Agency.