Founded in 1988, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) is a national public body, guided and supported by the Interministerial Committee for Space and Aerospace Policies (COMINT). While remaining under the supervision of the Ministry of Universities and Research, ASI carries out its institutional activities in accordance with government policy guidelines, on the basis of which it prepares the National Space Policy Strategic Document and the Strategic Vision Document for Space. COMINT was established pursuant to Article 2 of Law No. 7 of 11 January 2018, which — by amending Legislative Decree No. 128 of 4 June 2003 — reorganized the structure and responsibilities of ASI. In less than two decades, ASI has established itself as one of the most important global players in space science and satellite technologies. Today ASI plays a leading role both at the European level — where Italy is the third-largest contributor to the European Space Agency (ESA) — and worldwide. It maintains a close and continuous collaborative relationship with NASA, through which it participates in many of the most significant scientific missions of recent years. One of the most fascinating projects has been the construction and operation of the International Space Station, where Italian astronauts are now regular contributors. ASI has made major contributions to space exploration by building scientific instruments that have flown aboard NASA and ESA probes, and nearly every major mission planned for the coming years will include a piece of Italy. From studying the Universe to observing the Earth — for example to predict and prevent environmental disasters and measure the effects of climate change — Italy is also at the forefront through systems such as COSMO-SkyMed. Through ASI and its industrial sector, Italy continues a tradition of research in space propulsion, particularly as the leader of the European VEGA program, a launcher of Italian design.
