In Naples, a city that has always combined the sea and knowledge, something was born that speaks of the future. Yesterday Southern Space Industrial Systems has officially launched: a network that brings together small and medium-sized businesses, startups, universities and research centers in the South involved in the aerospace sector. An ambitious project, promoted by the Mediterranean Aerospace Society (SAM), which transforms the accumulated experience of individuals into a single industrial body, capable of dialogue with Europe and the world.
OPPORTUNITY
“We are not just building a network, but an ecosystem of growth and opportunities”, said regional council member for Innovation Valeria Fascione, who spoke at the opening of the meeting. «Campania is currently one of four Italian regions with a structured spatial supply chain. This system was created – he added – to provide continuity and vision to a sector that combines science, industry and young skills, and which can become an engine of development for the entire South”. These words were conveyed by Luigi Iavarone, president of the Mediterranean Aerospace Societywhich underlines the need to strengthen industrial cooperation: «The space market is growing at a dizzying pace. No company can face global challenges alone. Networking means sharing technology, knowledge and resources, but also giving young engineers and researchers from Southern Italy the opportunity to build a stable future here, without having to look elsewhere for what they can achieve in their own country.”
Iavarone, who is passionate about this project and made a promise in six months to “verify that what was planted today has taken root”, received support from Confindustria, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA), which together aim to consolidate the role of Southern Italy in the Space Economy. “Aerospace and defense are strategic assets for the technological autonomy of Italy and Europe”, said Giorgio Marsiaj, Confindustria delegate for Aerospace. “We need a cohesive supply chain, avoiding fragmentation and dispersion of resources outside the EU. This is why we are working on the European regulatory framework, the EU Space Act and the relationship between industry and universities through discussions with CRUI – he explained – with the aim of encouraging dimensional growth, innovation and integration between large groups and SMEs.”
THE DATA
The solidity of this pathway is confirmed by the analysis of SRM – Intesa Sanpaolo Group Research Center. “Southern companies active in the space sector have a total turnover of 500 million euros per year, equivalent to 30% of the national figure” explains Salvio Capasso, head of Business and Regions. «In the South – he continued – we calculated approx 80 companies out of 275 Italian companies, including 49 SMEs, 31.4% of the national figure, and 7 startups representing around 14.8% of the national figure, while there are 24 large groups, 33.8% of the national figure. It is a young but mature productive structure, capable of generating added value and quality employment.” No less important is the role of Campania which, together with Puglia, has created a strong and fast-growing ecosystem in the South: SMEs and large companies each control 13% of Italy’s territory, while startups account for 6%. For MIMIT’s Mauro Piermaria, the strength of the South lies “in constructive dialogue with institutions”. An in-depth look was also taken by SRM’s general director, Massimo De Andreis, who recalled the strategic value of this alliance: «Piedmont, Lazio, Campania and Puglia are the four regions that form the backbone of the Italian space industry: therefore there is a need for greater synergy, including coordination, for these four regions of Southern Italy, and Campania in particular, to become a laboratory of applied technologies, from food agriculture to environmental monitoring, from energy to mobility.
SPACE AGENCY
The attention of the Italian Space Agency is precisely in this direction. Silvia Natalucci, mission manager Cosmo-SkyMed, highlighting the growth of this sector in Campania: «We see increasingly strong participation of universities and SMEs from the South in our tenders. The IRIDE program, developed with the European Space Agency, represents a real opportunity to deliver industry impact. In Campania, many companies are developing public administration services based on satellite data. This shows a vibrant, ready and competitive region.” In the same vein, ESA’s Marco Casucci reiterated the role of the Campania Region in the IRIDE program: «The presence of Campania companies is very important, both in the field of satellite and ground services. The region has demonstrated its ability to effectively combine research and industrial applications. The region is one of the most dynamic regions in the country and a reference point for the entire European ecosystem.”
And then the company intervened with speeches by Pasquale Dell’Aversana of Lead Tech, Francesco Monti of Techno System Developments, Renato Aurigemma of Sam4Ska, Giovanni Sylos Labini of Planetek/D-Orbit, Riccardo Puglisi of Archimede, Antonio Colangelo of Geocart, Roberto Tartaglia Polcini of Mapsat, Salvatore Mennella of TopView and Gaetano Volpe of Latitudo 40. Each of them demonstrated their strengths, listed projects, and outlined a unified vision in a common message: The South is no longer an outsider of the Space Economy, but a vital center of it. Therefore, yesterday’s meeting marked a decisive cultural and industrial transition. Industry in the South is now looking further afield, driven by a system that combines roots and ambition. And in this new constellation, Naples becomes a natural bridge between Europe and the Mediterranean, between research and work, between Earth and space.
