Co-organised by the Scientific Office of the Italian Embassy and the Jacob and Marcus Wallenberg Center for Innovation and Sustainable Business Development at Stockholm School of Economics – House of Innovation the Italian Space Day was celebrated in Stockholm on 21 January 2025: an event established by the Italian Government in 2021 and celebrated by Italian Embassies around the world.
The day began with the presentation at the Stockholm School of Economics of a scientific contribution by the Italian astrophysicist Patrizia Caraveo and continued at the Embassy where a meeting was held on collaboration opportunities in the space sector in the presence of several Italian and Swedish experts. Astrophysicist, journalist and writer, director of the Institute of Space Astrophysics and Cosmic Physics in Milan, Patrizia Caraveo is actively involved in various space missions of NASA, ESA and ASI, and was considered by Fortune Italia among the fifty women most influential in our country. His contribution highlighted the opportunities and challenges of the space economy, a sector that is continually expanding but has an ever-increasing impact on our planet. The rapid technological developments of the space sector, in addition to being accompanied by the growing availability of innovative applications for society, present risks that can no longer be ignored: from light pollution, to the danger of collisions, to the deposition of toxic gases in our atmosphere, to accidents caused by debris falling to Earth. The event hosted at the Stockholm School of Economics was attended by audience extremely interested in both scientific and economic aspects of space research, a sector that undoubtedly offers great opportunities to strengthen bilateral partnerships and competitive research initiatives between Italian and Swedish researchers .
The cooperation between Italy and Sweden in space, a scientific, technological and economic sector that today offers extraordinary opportunities, began many years ago with the development of the instrumentation of the BepiColombo mission, the first European mission to Mercury, and continued with many others science missions with balloons, and launches at the Swedish Esrange base in Kiruna, such as the recent one of the MiniIrene space capsule, a project financed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
Ambassador Pala expressed particular satisfaction with this initiative in a sector that represents a priority for our country and which can truly characterize quality and intensity of bilateral relations in both scientific and industrial fields also in relation to Sweden’s recent entry into the NATO community.
In the afternoon at the Italian Embassy in Stockholm, again in collaboration with the Jacob and Marcus Wallenberg Center for Innovation and Sustainable Business Development, a meeting was held inviting experts from the two countries to discuss opportunities for collaboration in space to enhance scientific and industrial initiatives. Thanks also to the presence of Esrange, the only orbital launch complex in continental Europe, a strategic resource for a potential joint commitment, we discussed where to direct and concentrate efforts and to identify key areas where to invest resources and skills . The meeting was attended by the Italian Space Attaché at the International Organizations in Paris, Alessandra Fiumara, and several officials responsible for the Swedish space programs including: Magnus Härviden, government consultant on space research and policy, Ella Carlsson, Director General of the Space Agency Swedish, Christer Fuglesang, astronaut and director of the KTH Space Center, Valentina Tartari, director of the Jacob and Marcus Wallenberg Center for Innovative and Sustainable Business Development, Nick Andersson, Senior Advisor to the President of the Stockholm School of Economics, as well as representatives from the Swedish Space Corporation and Foundation Asset Management AB.
