AI and Space Economy: the European Parliament forum in Rome

The opening of the conference session saw the participation of Carlo Corazza, Director of the European Parliament Offices in Italy, and Gabriele Ferrieri, President of the National Association of Young Innovators, who introduced the main dossiers related to the digital transition of space. The institutional framework was explored in depth by the interventions of MEPs Danilo Della Valle, Francesco Torselli and Pierfrancesco Maran, supported by Claudia Muresan of the European Commission, Alessandro Dodaro of ENEA, Gianlorenzo Fiorentini of Aon and Carmelo Cipolla of the National Cybersecurity Agency. The comparison highlighted how lto protect space communication networks and the harmonization of European regulatory frameworks constitute essential prerequisites for attracting private investments in the New Space Economy sector, reducing technological dependence on non-EU markets.

A specific focus was dedicated to Earth Observation technologies and the application of artificial intelligence for satellite data processing. Industry experts took part in the panel including Leonardo Gagliardi of ASAS, Vincenzo Santoro of CDTI Rome, Gianluca Duretto of the International University of Rome UNINT, Maria Fabrizia Buongiorno of INGV, Gabriele De Canio of e-GEOS, Corrado Perna of INAF, Stefano La Barbera of Thales Alenia Space, Marta Chinnici of ENEA, Augusto Cramarossa of the Italian Space Agency and Marcello Maranesi of Gmatics. Technical reports confirmed that the use of machine learning models enables the processing of large amounts of satellite imagery in real time, improving accuracy in climate risk prevention and agricultural resource management.

The final session, focused on the research programs and the infrastructural future of the sector, recorded the interventions of Alessandro Bonifazi of the Niccolò Cusano University, Luigi Mazzucchelli of ENAV, Ivano Verzola of the Italian Institute of Technology, Eleonora Vestito of Planetek Italia, Manuel Serra of Galileo Security and Roberto Mancinelli of Challenge Network, with the moderation of Giovanni De Negri, Director of Eurocomunicazione. The interaction between universities, institutes such as IIT and private companies defines Europe’s ability to translate scientific research into robust commercial applications. Cybersecurity management for satellite constellations and the integration of aerospace logistics remain priority fields of action to ensure the continuity of essential services and the resilience of global navigation and monitoring networks.