“Today I had the pleasure of welcoming the crew of the AX-3 space mission to Palazzo Chigi, which includes Colonel Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force, Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria (USA, Axiom Space), Alper Gezeravci (Turkey) and Marcus Wandt (Sweden)”. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote this on X, sharing a photo of herself with the four astronauts on her profile.
“It was a meeting that further strengthened the Government’s commitment to supporting space initiatives, aware of the strategic importance that this sector has for our economic and technological development. The AX-3 mission represents a particularly significant milestone for the Italy in the global space economy”, adds the prime minister.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Colonel Villadei, who proudly carried our Tricolor into space, and to the entire crew for their extraordinary work. This mission demonstrates once again the value of international collaboration and the leading role Italy’s plan in the development of new spatial frontiers”, concludes Meloni.