The Turin Lawyers Foundation, the Fulvio Croce Foundation, in collaboration with the Italian publishing group Gruppo 24ORE, under the scientific direction of Riccardo Salomone, invited the OSL Team of Sapienza University of Rome to participate in a significant conference on space law titled Space Law. Le esperienze dell’uomo nello spazio, organised in Turin on 22 October.
The conference opened with a keynote address by Italy’s first astronaut, Engineer Franco Malerba, who reflected on key milestones in space development—from the 20th century space race to the present day. This was followed by introductory remarks from Engineer Giacomo Martinotti.
A distinguished panel of experts from Italy’s space and legal sectors participated, including Sergio Marchisio, Professor of Space Law at Sapienza University; Sara Garino, Head of the Legislative Office of the X Commission for Productive Activities in the Chamber of Deputies, and Luca Salamone, Director General of the Italian Space Agency. Their discussions centered on Italy’s draft national space law and the recently proposed Draft Law on Provisions Relating to the Space Economy, adopted by the Council of Ministers in June.
Sergio Marchisio stressed that adopting a national space law should not be seen as a status symbol, despite the rising interest globally. He explained that Italy’s evolving needs have driven it to begin this process to regulate private operators’ activities in outer space. He then provided an overview of the Draft Law, covering key aspects such as general provisions, authorization, registration, and liability, and highlighted both its strengths and the challenges it may face.
The event concluded with a panel discussion that saw representatives of the Italian space industry, including Walter Cugno, Head of the Exploration and Science Domain at Thales Alenia, Vincenzo Giorgio, CEO of Altec, and Aurora Bontade, Head of Growth at Argotec, providing prospects of the Made in Italy in space and the contribution of Italian excellence to the progress and competitiveness of the sector at international level.
The conference also attracted great interest in the national media, with articles published in ANSA and La Stampa. To read the full articles:
