The Italian Embassy in Seoul marked Italian Space Day on Wednesday, commemorating the 1964 launch of San Marco, Italy’s first satellite, which made it the third country to independently reach space.
“Space is a platform for cooperation, not just competition,” said Italian astronaut Col. Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force in his keynote speech.
Villadei hopes to build a future, with the help of Korean partners, where humans can live on the moon.
He noted that joint industrial cooperation is already being planned further ahead, adding that “a joint mission to Korea is being prepared for 2026–2027" in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency.
In her remarks, Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto highlighted Korea-Italy space cooperation, driven by recent high-level exchanges and agreements. She cited the memorandum of understanding signed between the Italian Space Agency and Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT during Italian President Sergio Mattarella’s visit.
"We look forward to strengthening bilateral cooperation in space,” she said, referencing Italy’s prime ministerial visit to Korea earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the Democratic Party of Korea emphasized the complementary strengths of both countries.
“Italy’s space ecosystem and Korea’s IT and manufacturing power will create strong synergy,” she stressed.
The event underscored Italy’s ambition to deepen scientific and industrial ties with Korea, with space emerging as a new frontier of strategic partnership.
sanjaykumar@heraldcorp.com
