Also taking part in the visit were France's Ambassador to Italy, Anne-Marie Descôtes, and Undersecretary of State Fausta Bergamotto.
The delegation was welcomed by Massimo Claudio Comparini, Managing Director of Leonardo's Space Division, by Gabriele Pieralli, CEO of Telespazio, by Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space, and by Giampiero Di Paolo, CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia.
During the visit, the delegation toured the Galileo Control Centre, Europe's satellite navigation and positioning program, as well as the main control rooms of the Fucino Space Centre.
During the day, Ministers Urso and Baptiste also held a bilateral meeting to take stock of the main cooperation dossiers in the space sector. The talks revealed the shared commitment of both countries to increasingly active participation in the IRIS² program, through the full involvement of their respective national industrial ecosystems. Within this framework, particular importance is placed on enhancing Fucino's role as a strategic node in the IRIS² architecture and on consolidating Italy's industrial role in the operational management of the constellation, in a spirit of full complementarity and close cooperation with the equivalent centre in Toulouse.
Massimo Claudio Comparini, Managing Director of Leonardo's Space Division, commented: "The Fucino Space Centre stands as concrete evidence of European excellence in the space sector and of the long-term value of industrial cooperation between Italy and France in this field. Today's visit confirms our commitment to fostering innovation, strengthening European strategic autonomy, and developing space capabilities able to generate value for institutions, citizens, and future generations."
