SGDC, a Thales Alenia Space-manufactured satellite. Photo: Arianespace.

The Space Alliance between Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio signed a contract with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) for the initial development of an innovative satellite system dubbed Ital-GovSatCom. This contract paves the way for a program within the scope of the Italian “Space Economy” initiative. The value of the contract was not disclosed.

The contract, signed by Thales Alenia Space as the lead company in a temporary consortium (RTI), is the first within the scope of the Space Economy initiative, providing for both private and government participation. It is defined in a collaboration agreement between the Italian Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry and 12 Italian regions (Abruzzi, Basilicata, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Apulia, Sardinia, Tuscany, Umbria, Aosta Valley and the autonomous province of Trento), to foster the development and competitiveness of the Italian space industry and provide services for both the government and commercial markets.

The satellite will be compatible with launches by vehicles such as the Vega light launcher, built by AVIO. The complete satellite system, including the ground segment and related applications, calls on critical technologies from major Italian space industry players Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio, Leonardo, SITAEL, and Space Engineering, along with a number of Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SME).