On Friday 15 July, at 11 a.m., a contract signing ceremony will take place at Palazzo Lombardia between the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and the Associazione Italiana di Aeronautica e Astronautica (AIDAA), which has been appointed to host the 75th edition of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) - the most important global event in the Space sector - in Milan from 11 to 18 October 2024.
A letter of intent will also be formalised in which the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) and Leonardo will commit to supporting AIDAA in organizing the event.
The candidacy of Milan, which was declared the winner in October 2021, was promoted by AIDAA, ASI and Leonardo, respectively representing the Italian academic world, institutions and space industry, and enjoyed the pivotal support of the Italian Government and local institutions, in particular the President of the Lombardy Region and the Mayor of Milan.
Taking part in the ceremony will be Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region; Elena Buscemi, President of Milan City Council; Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo; Giorgio Saccoccia, President of ASI; Erasmo Carrera, President of AIDAA; and Pascale Ehrenfreund, President of IAF.
Under the motto “Responsible space for sustainability”, the intention of IAC 2024 is to highlight the importance of Space as an “environment” that must be kept secure and open to exploration, peaceful use and international co-operation by present and future generations in the interests of the planet and all nations, regardless of their level of development and without discrimination of any kind. With this aim more than 8,000 experts from space agencies, companies, research centres and associations from across the world will meet at IAC 2024 - organized with the contribution of AIM Group International - in the Milano Congress Center (Allianz MiCo), Europe's largest conference venue.
There are currently just under 8,000 satellites in orbit, around 5,000 of which are operational, and this number is set to grow significantly in the next few years. Ever more countries and public and private players are becoming actively involved in the space economy. The Earth’s orbit is nonetheless a limited resource, and any overcrowding involves risks in terms of security, light pollution and the availability of data and services provided by space technologies. In the economy, industry, agriculture, transport, energy, finance, urban development, communications, environmental monitoring, and security, space systems are a fundamental tool in the creation of a more digital, green and sustainable future. They are likewise vital for the functioning of society, the economy and global trade.
Italy is at the forefront in the challenge of using Space responsibly in the name of sustainability. It is one of the few countries in the world with a complete Space economy supply chain: from manufacturing, through new applications development and satellite services management, to propulsion and launch systems.The country’s expertise can be found in the research sector and in companies of all sizes, from start-ups and SMEs to large-scale industry, supported by the institutions. All will come together on 15 July to confirm their commitment to supporting IAC 2024.
Media can follow the ceremony registering at the event venue 15 minutes before the ceremony starts.