There is a new horizon that unites Italy and the United States, and is well beyond the boundaries of the Earth. The ICE Agency – Houston Office and the Italian Embassy in Washington D.C., under the auspices of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), presented on Friday 5th December the 2025 edition of the Italian Space Day, entitled Next Frontiers: a day entirely dedicated to the dialogue between institutions, industry and research, which represented a moment of further strengthening the collaboration between Italy and the United States in the space sector, highlighting the common vision towards an economy of the most innovative, sustainable and accessible space.
“Italy wants to be the protagonist of the new space race that in the United States is experiencing a new phase made of great opportunities, also for our enterprises”, commented the Italian Ambassador in the United States, Marco Peronaci, who added: “The Italian Space Day here in Washington wants to give concrete implementation to the strategic partnership Italy-United States in the space sector and the priorities indicated in the Trump-Meloni Declaration last April”.
At its fourth edition and this year organized with Leonardo’s contribution to Italy, SpaceX, Axiom Space, VAST, AIAA, Space Foundation, Astrolab, Seed2Table and Intuitive Machines, the event represented an expected institutional appointment in the aerospace industry. Not a conference or a simple exhibition: Next Frontiers was an international Pitch Day, a new format in which innovation becomes a story and technology becomes a diplomatic language.
On Deborah Bergamini, representatives of U.S. Space Authorities Taylor Jordan, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Enviromental Observation and Prediction, and Acting Director for the Office of Space Commerce, Juan Andres Caro, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Space Affairs, and Casey Swails, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator. There were also leaders of the US space industry, investors and numerous representatives of the US Administration and Congress: an exceptional audience that bears witness to the growing interest in Italy’s role as a strategic technological actor in the new economy of space. The whole day was built as an immersive experience: institutional videos, suggestive settings and digital countdowns accompanied the pitches of companies, alternating with short interventions of astronauts, economists and internationally renowned figures who brought their vision of the future.
In the heart of Washington, within the Italian Embassy, there were sixteen Italian companies — ALTEC, Angelantoni Test Technologies, CIRA–Italian Aerospace Research Center, D-Orbit, Eligio Re Fraschini, Involve Space, Kayser Italia, Leaf Space, NPC Spacemind, NurjanaTech, REA Space, SPIN, T4i, Telespazio, Vanzetti Engineering and Zoppas Industries Each project tells a part of the Italian contribution to the human exploration of space and the construction of a more sustainable interplanetary future.
The initiative marks a crucial moment for the Italian space system. With the recently signed agreement between the Italian Space Agency and SpaceX, Italy has become the first international partner involved in commercial missions towards Mars, entering the Starship program. It is a result that confirms the solidity of our industry and the scientific and technological credibility of the country. Today, more than sixty Italian companies operate in the United States in aerospace, with hubs in Texas, California and Florida, collaborating with American partners in the fields of electric propulsion, additive manufacturing and Earth observation.
Italy is a protagonist in aerospace supplies to the United States, with a growing role both in terms of value and impact on the market, thanks also to the strong complementarity between the Italian and American production chain. Between 2022 and 2024, Italian exports to the United States in the aerospace sector increased from 1,15 to 1,58 billion dollars, marking an increase of 27.3%. This result reflects the solidity of the Italian chain, capable of combining technological innovation, engineering precision and industrial reliability. Italy’s market share rose from 3.3% to 3.8%, a sign of a structural strengthening of the Italian presence and an increasing American confidence in Italian producers, particularly in the most sophisticated segments of the industry.
In the most recent period, considering the data January–July, Italy maintains a sustained growth rate: US imports from Italian producers rose from $928 million in 2024 to $971 million in 2025, with an increase of 4.6% and an expanding market share of up to 4.1%. This trend shows that Italy is not only a well-established supplier, but a strategic partner for the American aerospace industry, able to respond to the demand for high-performance technologies — from propulsion systems to advanced components — and to support the joint development of aviation and space-related projects.
The United States remains the largest non-European market for the sector, absorbing more than 40% of total industry exports. In Italy, the aerospace industry generates over 7 billion euros of annual turnover and employs more than 40,000 highly qualified professionals, with an investment rate in R&S over 10% of the turnover — among the highest in Europe.
Next Frontiers has given visibility and substance to this excellence: a platform that combines economic diplomacy, innovation and industry, with the aim of building lasting alliances between the two shores of the Atlantic. The ICE Agency, through its Houston Office, confirms itself to promote an integrated approach that aims to strengthen the presence of Italian companies in the most advanced segments of the American space supply chain.
The Italian Space Day at the Italian Embassy in Washington D.C. opened with institutional greetings. After the networking lunch, the program provided a live pitch session with 16 Italian companies in the industry, and special interventions of Axiom Space Col astronauts. Walter Villadei and Michael López-Alegría, and the space economist George Pullen. The day – which ended with an exclusive reception organized in collaboration with SpaceX – celebrated the creativity and innovative capacity that characterize Italian participation in the new global space economy.
L’articolo Italian Space Day 2025: Next Frontiers proviene da IlNewyorkese.
