en.Wedoany.com Reported - Italy and France have reached a new joint declaration in the space sector, aiming to strengthen their common stance on European space affairs. Italian Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, and French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Philippe Baptiste, signed the document during a visit to the Thales Alenia Space facility in Cannes, updating an agreement signed in March at the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (Mimit).
The declaration focuses on three core areas. The first is IRIS², Europe's secure satellite connectivity program. The second concerns launch vehicles, with Vega-C and Ariane 6 considered central to Europe's autonomous access to space. The third is the Bromo project, an industrial alliance initiative promoted by Thales, Airbus, and Leonardo.
IRIS² is the EU's third-largest space infrastructure after Galileo and Copernicus. The European Commission has signed a concession contract for a multi-orbit constellation with the SpaceRise consortium. The system will combine low Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit satellites, expected to enter operational service early next decade, aiming to secure communications for governments, institutions, businesses, and citizens while reducing dependence on non-European infrastructure.
Regarding launch vehicles, both parties commended the recent Ariane 6 flight that placed 36 satellites into orbit. Italy confirmed its role as a key component of the European space chain through Avio's contributions. Both sides believe that increasing flight frequency and consolidating market confidence are necessary to demonstrate that Europe can provide stable, rather than occasional, launch capabilities.
The Bromo project, initiated by Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales with a memorandum of understanding signed in October 2025, plans to merge parts of their space activities into a new European company. The new entity will consolidate capabilities from Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space, and Telespazio, aiming to create a European champion with critical mass, excluding launch vehicle operations. The capital structure allocates 35% to Airbus, and 32.5% each to Leonardo and Thales, with operational launch expected in 2027, subject to regulatory approval.
Italy boasts a broad industrial chain involving over 300 companies and 16 aerospace districts, with strong capabilities in satellites, launch vehicles, Earth observation, and lunar infrastructure. The country is engaging in global competition through a wider network of space cooperation. In April 2026, the second U.S.-Italy Space Dialogue was held in Washington, followed by Urso signing a declaration of intent with NASA on lunar surface cooperation. Italy is developing the Mph lunar habitat as part of the Artemis roadmap, with Luca Parmitano's participation in the Artemis III mission reinforcing the symbolic significance of the collaboration.
Space cooperation with Japan has been strengthened at the Osaka World Expo and related industrial dialogues, with both sides seeking partnerships involving research, industry, security, and commercial applications. In 2025, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) signed two agreements with UAE partners concerning the Rashid Rover 3 and the Emirates Mission to Asteroids. In Malindi, Kenya, Italy operates the Luigi Broglio Space Center (Centro spaziale Luigi Broglio), and cooperation with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) on space law in Africa demonstrates another facet of space diplomacy.
The Urso-Baptiste declaration aims to leverage bilateral cooperation as a lever to influence European community affairs, but it alone cannot fully resolve Europe's space challenges. The real challenge lies in translating intergovernmental coordination into concrete decisions, investments, and defined timelines, particularly in rapidly approving Bromo, stabilizing IRIS², and increasing the launch frequency of European launch vehicles.
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