EDITORIALS

A Sustainable Interplanetary Civilisation
Emanuele Bompan

Today, we increasingly look to our solar system and our galaxy to understand how to traverse interstellar distances, colonise planets, and harness energy and minerals from extraterrestrial territories. But the space economy is booming at the very moment when environmental and climate challenges are becoming more serious and urgent on our planet.

What If Perfect Circularity Came From Space
Alessandra Astolfi
In orbit, nothing is wasted. A space station is the most rigorous closed system ever built by human engineering. It is the circular economy taken to its physical limit, long before circularity became an industrial buzzword.

THINK TANK

Space Is a Driver for the Economy
Interview with Walter Villadei
Emanuele Bompan
The aim of the new race to the Moon is to establish a continuous, sustainable and safe presence on our satellite. And among European countries, Italy is at the forefront with its space industry.

Astrobiology as a Mirror to Understand Life on Earth
Interview with Nathalie Cabrol
Giorgia Marino
By questioning the possibility of life in the universe, astrobiology also investigates its origins, evolution and future on Earth. It is proving to be an increasingly valuable ally in our efforts to understand and manage the extreme changes that are disrupting our planet.

The Atmosphere Is the Space Economy’s Dumping Ground
Interview with Patrizia Caraveo
Emanuele Bompan
The space race is becoming a new planetary Wild West dominated by North American billionaires and Chinese companies: the Italian astrophysicist, author of the book “Space Ecology”’, dismantles, piece by piece, the notion that space is still an unspoilt realm.

INSIGHTS

The World as Seen from the Moon
Emilio Cozzi
Two coalitions are vying to return to our satellite; a $626 billion economy is growing on the back of military spending; and 16,000 satellites are reshaping the geography of power. The space race is not an escape from Earth: it is its truest reflection.

Voyage 2050: The Future of European Space Exploration
Lucrezia Lenardon
From the history of the Milky Way to the moons of the giant planets, Voyage 2050 charts the next frontiers of European space exploration and focuses on innovation and international cooperation.

NASA in the Race to Land on the Moon
Simone Fant
If Trump dreams of beating China to the moon, SpaceX’s delays are holding up the Artemis missions. NASA’s collaboration with the European Space Agency is now crucial.

China: A Year in the Heavenly Palace to Prepare for the Moon
Giorgia Marino
Beijing eyes the Moon. While the United States currently has the lead in the race to set foot on the Moon once again, China is stepping up the pace when it comes to plans for a permanent base. Meanwhile, its taikonauts are preparing for 365 days in orbit.

India’s New Space Adventure
Ayushee Chaudhary
Although India’s space programme began in the 1970s with satellites designed to support agriculture, today, thanks to an evolving political landscape and a growing private sector, the country is sending probes to the Moon and preparing its first manned orbital mission.

SpaceX: Corporate Space Conquest
Emanuele Bompan
Elon Musk’s multiplanetary vision, featuring an Earth-Moon-Mars super-infrastructure entirely controlled by his companies, reveals its dark side: reckless investments, unscrupulous government support and enormous environmental impacts.

Closing the Loop Beyond the Atmosphere
Antonella Ilaria Totaro
Satellite repair, in-orbit refuelling, water recycling: the circular economy in space has moved well beyond its initial phase. Alongside major institutional programmes, an ecosystem of startups is emerging that is transforming the circular economy in space into a fully-fledged industrial sector.

Aerospace Materials: From the Wright Brothers’ Take-off to the Circular Lift-off Into Orbit
Giorgio Kaldor
From alloy selection to recycling beyond the atmosphere: how materials management and circularity are bringing the aerospace industry and the new space race together.

Ruling Over the Edge of the Infinite Sky
Giorgio Kaldor

The space economy is hitting a roadblock: the depletion of physical space. With half a million satellites on the way, low Earth orbit has become a virtually unregulated, high-speed motorway. Science, markets and the stability of the entire infrastructure are at risk.

Starry Cuisine
Marco Morello
The menu in space is a balance of requirements and technical considerations as well as culinary indulgences. After all, good food is one of the few everyday pleasures afforded to astronauts on a mission.

CASE STUDIES

Getting to the Moon is Not Enough: We Have to Stay There
Interview with Giuseppe Sala
Emanuele Bompan

A new international expo-conference on the space economy debuts in Rimini on 23 September. Professor Giuseppe Sala, chair of the Scientific Committee, explains why the time has come to connect knowledge and industries across the sector.

The Value of Proof in an Era of Grand Promises About Innovation
Giorgio Kaldor
Presented at BEX-Beyond Exploration, at a meeting promoted by Confindustria’s Technical Group for Internationalisation, the I.N.N.O.V.A. method proposes six steps for turning innovation into a more solid path towards markets and investors.

Thales Alenia Space: Italian Industry in the New Geopolitics of Space
Roberto Giovannini
The Italian-French joint venture, with over 8,000 employees in seven countries and a strategic base in Italy, has, in recent years, built a solid network of collaborations with European and international space programmes, focusing on innovation and synergies between the public and private sectors.

From Design to Simulation: How Dassault Systèmes Helps Improve Satellites
Editorial Staff

Advanced simulation platforms and virtual twins now offer valuable solutions for improving the resilience, sustainability, and safety of satellite systems. We spoke about this with one of the leading companies in the sector.

The Liquid Gold We Pour Down the Sink
Giorgia Marino

Used cooking oils are an often underrated category of waste, both for the environmental impact they generate and for the value they could offer as a secondary raw material in various sectors. The CONOE consortium has been working on both fronts for years.

CONOU: When Circularity Builds Community
Giorgio Kaldor

A ruling by Italy’s Council of State has strengthened the role of the CONOU consortium, guarantor of a used-oil supply chain that is circular, strong, and cohesive, but above all, centred on people and future generations.

The Reforestation of Isola dell’Ochetta
Editorial Staff
Following the 2023 storm, the project run by Rete Clima and Microsoft Italia has resulted in the restoration of almost 13 hectares and the planting of around 6,000 trees in the Ticino Park.

STARTUPS
by Antonella Ilaria Totaro
Atmos Space Cargo, logistics for re-entry spacecraft
Inspecting, repairing and removing satellites for a safer orbit with ClearSpace
Kinetik: robotic arms and in-orbit manufacturing to build the infrastructure of the future
Orbit Fab: the first in-space refuelling station for reusable satellites

OUROBOROS
Space is the last global commons, and a circular economy demands it remain so
Ana Birliga Sutherland
The Californian startup Reflect Orbital wants to launch 50,000 mirrors, each 60 metres wide, into low Earth orbit to banish the night using technology. This absurd project is a symptom of our times: we are becoming all too prone to confusing the possibilities of technology with environmental progress.

CIRCULAR FUTURES: DISPATCHES FROM TOMORROW
2053: From Space Junk to Spaceship Earth
Patrick Schröder
For decades, space debris was regarded as a distant problem. Discarded rockets, defunct satellites and fragments travelling faster than a bullet were orbiting above our heads. The situation changed in 2029...

READING MATTER
A Bit of Space on Your Shelf
Giorgia Marino
Space as a business opportunity. Space as a mirror of Earth’s geopolitics. Space as a metaphor to discuss sustainability and circularity on Earth. Three books and three perspectives to create a mini-guide to the galaxy for our readers.