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by Andrea Bettini 15 May 2020 ROME - Quadruple funding: from 2.5 to 10 million euros for initiatives that use space technologies to face the COVID-19 emergency, in particular in telemedicine and distance education. Faced with the large amount of projects submitted under a call published on March 30 in agreement with ESA and in concert with the Ministry of Innovation, the Italian Space Agency has decided to considerably increase the amount made available to the companies.ASI President: "Extraordinary response from industry"
A total of 130 proposals were submitted, a hundred of which came from Italy. "Given the extraordinary response of the Italian and European industry, we quadrupled the budget allocated to allow more companies to see their ideas turn into a studio to be activated in no time", ASI President Giorgio Saccoccia explained in live streaming during the talk "Close encounters: The space between present and future". Among the proposals presented there are sensors that, using satellite technologies, allow targeted deliveries in emergency situations and the use of augmented reality to facilitate the activity of health workers.
"Investing to build a future of growth"
In addition to providing useful services during the pandemic, according to the president of ASI, the space sector may also play an important role in the restarting of the economy. For this reason, we do not expect reductions in funding in the coming years. "In crisis situations, in companies that fully understand the importance of research, investing is the only way to build a sustainable future and growth - continued Giorgio Saccoccia - There is already good news in the Italian economic maneuvers both for employment of young people in the research and university sector, both for technological development. If we continue like this, the road is right. "
Italy at the forefront of many projects
As for ongoing activities, Italy is at the forefront of many projects and the president of ASI gave some examples. As for nanosatellites, one of the most innovative sectors of the New Space Economy, the Italian Space Agency is working on a real national program, while in the monitoring of dangerous objects from space our country is a leader in ESA development of the FlyEye telescope network.
Return to the Moon
Then there is the return to the Moon, the next step of space exploration. “We immediately expressed interest in participating in the Artemis project in an important way - explained Giorgio Saccoccia - We do it through ESA, for example for the construction of part of the Lunar Gateway in lunar orbit, and then we work on bilateral agreements with NASA . A few days ago three industrial groups were selected to design the lunar landing module. They are all entirely American consortia except one, in which there is an Italian partner: Thales Alenia Space. In addition to this, we are working to propose other solutions such as lunar shelters, that is, infrastructures for hosting astronauts on the surface of the Moon ".