• Two Nations. One Orbit. A New India–Italy Space Story
  • From Bengaluru to the Moon: The Two Nations Look Up Together
  • The Next Frontier in India–Italy Ties is Space

By Sangeeta Saxena

New Delhi. 06 September 2026. When Italy lands at Bengaluru Space Expo 2026 as Partner Country, it will bring much more than a delegation of leading space companies. It comes with a proposition for India: let us build the future of space together. From satellites, Earth observation and space infrastructure to start-ups, lunar exploration, scientific research and orbital sustainability, Rome sees New Delhi not simply as one of the world’s fastest-growing space markets, but as a key strategic partner with whom technologies, investments and businesses can be created for both domestic and global markets.

In an exclusive interview with Aviation & Defence Universe (ADU) ahead of BSX 2026, H.E. Antonio Bartoli, Ambassador of Italy to India, lays out an expansive vision for a relationship that is rapidly moving beyond traditional space diplomacy. Space, he explains, is now a pillar of the India–Italy Special Strategic Partnership and an important component of the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029.

ADU. Your Excellency, Italy is participating as the Partner Country at Bengaluru Space Expo 2026. What significance does Italy attach to this role, and what message will Italy bring to India’s rapidly expanding space community?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. We are honoured and proud to be Partner Country at BSX 2026. In only a few years, this forum has become a major international gathering for industry, institutions, and researchers. Some of our leading space companies from Italy are attending this edition, eager to deepen contacts and concrete collaborations. We come to Bengaluru with a clear message: India is for us a key partner for scientific, technological and industrial space cooperation. And we are convinced this partnership can grow further, generating concrete results: joint initiatives, investments and solid business ties.

ADU. Italy and India are experiencing one of the most dynamic phases in their bilateral relationship. How important has space become within this broader strategic partnership?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. Space has been identified as a pillar of the Special Strategic Partnership established by Prime Ministers Meloni and Modi in Rome last May. And it is a fundamental area of cooperation under the the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029, which is our bilateral roadmap. Much we have done together over the recent years. And much more remains to be done in our common agenda. The scope of our space cooperation is crosscutting: from industry to innovation; from science and research to defence and security. Our dialogue covers areas ranging from Earth observation and space exploration to satellite technologies and applications. Space will be at the hearth of the Italian innovation centre we plan to establish in India, a hub for start-ups and innovators. And a dedicated Space Attache’ will be soon posted at the Embassy in Delhi to foster all the dimensions of our space collaboration, in addition to the scientific attaches placed in Bengaluru and the Capital. We also intend to deepen our coordination at the multilateral level, including on space sustainability, space situational awareness and joint initiatives in third countries, including Africa. We are grateful for the Indian support to the Italian 2026-27 Presidency of CUPUOS.

ADU. India and Italy already have a longstanding institutional relationship through ISRO and the Italian Space Agency, ASI. What should be the next big step in taking this cooperation from institutional engagement towards a broader strategic space partnership?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. Our inter-agency interaction continues to be a driving force of our space talks. At the same time, in September 2025 our two Government launched the first edition of the Italy-India Space Dialogue, to give consistency and institutional umbrella to our lines of collaboration. This is a structured framework of interaction that Italy maintains with only a limited number of strategic partners: US, UK, Japan – and, indeed, India. We look forward to organizing the next edition in Italy and bring forward our multifaceted common agenda.

ADU. India has opened its space sector to private enterprise, creating a vibrant space ecosystem. How does Italy view this transformation, and what opportunities does it create for Italian companies?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. India has emerged as a global space power and a market of huge opportunities for both domestic and foreign business. The engagement between our private space sectors has been constantly growing. In September 2025, we organized an important sectoral business mission from Italy to India: 13 leading Italian space companies visited Bangalore, Hyderabad and New Delhi, interacting with key Indian space clusters and business counterparts. Last May, the direction of visits was reversed: a delegation of Indian space companies took part in the Veneto Space Meetings in Venice and engaged with the Italian space ecosystem in Turin. Now Italy is partner Country in BSX, a valuable occasion to allow B2B connections to thrive further. What is particularly impressive today is the dynamism of India’s private space sector: a new generation of companies combining strong engineering capabilities with entrepreneurship, technological ambition and commercially viable solutions. The success of Mission Aaagam, with Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 reaching orbit is a powerful example of this transformation. A major milestone for India’s private space industry also made possible through the contribution of an Italian business partner.

ADU. Could the next stage of India–Italy space relations move beyond the traditional buyer-seller model towards co-design, co-development and co-production of space technologies?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. That is exactly the kind of evolution we would like to encourage. A more structured B2B matching platform that can lead from commercial exchanges to joint innovation, co-design and co-development. Italian companies are ready and fully equipped to partner across the whole industrial value chain. We can be a privileged interlocutor for Indian industry. From satellite technologies to space infrastructure and equipment. Our space industry employs has recorded 15% growth in value over the past 5 years. We have built the majority of the habitable modules of the International Space Station. And we have cutting-edge expertise in radar (SAR) and optical Earth observation systems. My point is simple: let’s combine our respective strengths and develop shared technologies and solutions. Italy’s excellence in applied research can offer, for example, significant opportunities for cooperation in code development for advanced electronic and space systems. More broadly, we see a strong complementarity between our industrial and technological ecosystems, which can translate into joint projects and partnerships for both our domestic and global markets.

ADU. Both India and Italy possess strong ecosystems of SMEs, start-ups and specialised technology companies. How can these smaller innovators be connected so that bilateral space cooperation is not limited to large corporations and government agencies?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. Italy and India both have a strong fabric of smaller, highly innovative players. But they need practical channels to identify partners, understand opportunities and access markets. Business missions, sectoral events and targeted B2B exchanges are important instruments in this respect. Our companies can also rely on a €500 million credit facility from SIMEST (the Italian public financial institution supporting the internationalisation of Italian companies) for market access and joint ventures, providing a concrete financial tool to support commercial partnerships. Innovit India, the innovation centre that we intend to establish in this Country, will act as a facilitator of contact and contracts between start-ups, companies and research centres.

ADU. Earth observation has enormous relevance for both countries—from climate change and agriculture to disaster management, oceans and urban planning. How significant could this become as an area of bilateral cooperation?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. Earth observation offers considerable potential to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our societies. Climate change and disaster prevention are particularly important: the recent tragedy in Nepal reminds us of the value of satellite observation for monitoring natural hazards and supporting early-warning systems. Italy has significant capabilities in this field, including through COSMO-SkyMed and its contribution to ESA programmes. Agriculture is another promising area: Agriculture 4.0 is included in the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding signed last May, and satellite data can support precision farming. These are concrete areas where Italy and India can translate space cooperation into tangible benefits for citizens and economies.

ADU. India is entering an exciting phase of lunar exploration and human spaceflight. Italy brings extensive experience from European and international human-spaceflight programmes. Do you foresee collaboration around lunar science, astronautics, habitation technologies, scientific experiments or future exploration missions?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. Lunar science and exploration are among the areas where ASI and ISRO could deepen cooperation, including through joint research, scientific experiments and technologies for future missions. Italy brings extensive experience from European and international space exploration programmes. Closer exchanges between our research institutions, universities and scientists could further support this cooperation, building the foundations for more ambitious long-term scientific programmes.

ADU. As space becomes increasingly crowded, questions of debris, space situational awareness and responsible behaviour in orbit are becoming urgent. How can India and Italy work together to promote a sustainable and rules-based space environment?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. The rapid growth of activity in orbit makes sustainability and responsible behaviour increasingly important. This is a particular priority for Italy, which holds the Presidency of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) for 2026–2027, with a strong focus on global space governance. Italy and India can work together on issues such as space debris and space situational awareness, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora. These topics are also key in the agenda of our Italy–India Space Dialogue: combining technological ambition with a shared commitment to the peaceful, sustainable and responsible use of outer space is a shared interest for our Nations.

ADU. Scientific diplomacy often creates relationships that survive political and geopolitical changes. How important are researcher exchanges, university partnerships and mobility of young scientists and engineers to the long-term India–Italy relationship?

H.E. Antonio Bartoli. Lasting scientific cooperation is an indispensable ingredient of our space cooperation. We want to strengthen cooperation among IITs, universities and research centres, promoting scientific collaboration and the mobility of students, experts and researchers. Italy and India have signed an MoU between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) on joint research projects and researchers mobility, that will enhance the programs envisaged by the Scientific Cooperation Protocol between the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the DST. These frameworks provide an important foundation for our scientific and technological collaboration, as space is identified as a priority area.

Most significantly, Ambassador Bartoli’s vision moves beyond the language of a conventional buyer-seller relationship. Italy wants to combine strengths with India—to innovate together, design together and develop solutions together for Indian, Italian and global markets. Italian SMEs and start-ups also have access to financial mechanisms supporting market entry and joint ventures, while the proposed Innovit India centre is intended to connect start-ups, companies and research institutions across the two countries. That makes Italy’s Partner Country status at BSX 2026 both symbolic and strategic. The next chapter of India–Italy space relations will not be measured simply by how often the two countries meet, but by what they eventually build together. From Bengaluru to the Moon, the trajectory is set—the task now is to turn partnership into projects and cooperation into co-creation.

As Told To Sangeeta Saxena