The head of the Space and Aerospace Policy Office of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers speaks about AI (artificial intelligence) : "Space activity is also an opportunity to relaunch the national economy."
United Nations and AI
According to United Nations data, in the sixty years following Sputnik , the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth on October 4, 1957, some 8.000 objects were launched into space . This number has increased to 14.000 in the last five years alone. In 2021, 1800 devices were sent beyond the atmosphere. This means that, even in a year marked by the pandemic, the global number of space launches was ten times greater than in 2012.
This is a significant increase: firstly, the immediacy of the figures reveals the growing complexity, but also the centrality, of the sector. This is not only because today, technological and scientific innovation, economic prosperity, and geopolitical strategy converge in space, but also because space increasingly permeates collective life, so much so that it has immersed us in a space-based daily existence.
Secondly, the feverish intensity of extra-atmospheric activities urgently highlights another complex issue: the need to make space sustainable —economically, in terms of environmental impact, and in terms of orbital cleanup and management. Furthermore, it is clear that increasingly powerful processing tools and methods are needed to make the surge of data available from orbiting spacecraft useful (and sensible). Concepts such as high-performance computing and artificial intelligence are driving this evolution in space exploration.
Elena Grifoni Winters and AI (artificial intelligence)
Elena Grifoni Winters, now head of the Space and Aerospace Policy Office of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers , has to deal with this complexity every day.
Born in 1963, raised in Pisa by a Florentine family – “ another thing that is not easy to manage ” – immediately after graduating in Computer Science she was taken up by the European Space Agency , where she remained for more than twenty years until becoming Chief of Staff to the general manager, Josef Aschbacher, a position for which, in 2020, President Sergio Mattarella awarded her the honor of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy.
“ I didn’t come to space out of a sense of vocation, but out of a strong desire to gain experience abroad ,” he says. “ After graduating, when a good grade – 107, ed – still meant that companies would contact me , I turned down a job at Olivetti to go to the ESA. The intention was to stay there for a year. It turned out differently .”
And not insignificant: after having also worked in the United States and Paris, Grifoni Winters only returned to Italy in 2022, when then-Minister Vittorio Colao entrusted him with the responsibility of the new space agency, created in September—not without some controversy regarding the timing—to support the Prime Minister in his functions of “ senior management, overall political responsibility, and coordination of the Ministries’ policies related to space and aerospace programs .” A responsibility, it must be emphasized, later confirmed by the current government.
Speaking of compound but familiar topics, how do space and AI mesh today?
“The use of artificial intelligence is expanding across all high-tech sectors; machine learning and deep learning are also being increasingly exploited in space activities. This is primarily for three reasons: to increase the speed of analyzing data produced to and from space.”
We have AI systems that help us reduce the amount of information transferred to the ground to a useful quantity. In 2020, for example, an experimental AI aboard the PhiSat-1 satellite , designed to monitor polar ice and soil moisture, discarded images as irrelevant. The other two major reasons for using AI in space are cost and risk reduction . Thanks to synthetic intelligence, systems are more efficient and the possibility of error is lower. It is no coincidence that today they are used primarily in telecommunications, space exploration, and Earth observation.
What are the most advanced projects on AI?
“Just as an example, I would mention the collaboration, signed in 2022, between Thales Alenia Space and Aiko , a leading AI startup, which helps develop control strategies to make missions safer. Another interesting startup is called Studio Map : it applies artificial intelligence to Earth observation and facilitates maritime traffic control by also distinguishing the type of vessel. Regarding downstream operations , through an agreement with a foreign company specializing in AI, Enel will be able to monitor ice melt upstream of hydroelectric power plants.”
The goal is to make water flow management more efficient. Exosoul , a program created by the Gran Sasso Institute of Sciences together with the University of L'Aquila, aims to create software that represents our 'moral preferences', something that knows us and can protect us, trivially, from intrusive, if not aggressive, programs.
Can artificial intelligence make space more sustainable?
“We should agree on the concept of 'sustainability.' There are essentially two types: the first and most discussed is green sustainability , and in this area, artificial intelligence can help reduce energy use and the amount of data that needs to be stored. In addition to the examples already given, I could mention the Digital Twin project, the creation of a virtual and dynamic model of the Earth in which parameters can be changed to assess the consequences. It's clear how useful this is for forecasting purposes.”
The other sustainability is economic: by reducing costs and risks, the space becomes more accessible and its business model is strengthened. Ultimately, we can create more space .”
Real. Just as it is undeniable that the war in Ukraine is highlighting how much the possession of space data and infrastructure makes an individual relevant. Isn't that a security risk?
“We need to think long and hard about this question. However, a private strategic infrastructure is nothing new. I am thinking, for example, of the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940: even in that case the strategic infrastructure belonged to the citizens. It was they, with a flotilla, who evacuated the soldiers from the French coast, an aspect that played a crucial role.
And what about the United States, where most nuclear power plants are not publicly owned, or our decision to privatize the energy sector? What matters is that governments don't depend on private entities , even through an appropriate regulatory environment. These are two even more important elements in space, a sector that has developed overwhelmingly in recent years. Technology evolves faster than regulations, but in this case, we have to force ourselves to accelerate so as not to lose control of the processes.
what do you mean?
“In the event of an accident involving a drone or an autonomous vehicle, who is responsible? And in space, how imaginatively can such a scenario be replicated? It's not even necessary to invoke war: more simply put, space exploration is evolving in a legislative vacuum, or at best within an outdated regulatory framework. The thinking and initiatives undertaken, such as the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, must be updated to reflect contemporary realities.”
We will soon begin exploiting lunar resources, those of asteroids, perhaps even those of Mars. It will be difficult to remind a company facing enormous costs, perhaps in mining or infrastructure, that its investments will benefit everyone. But this is what the 1967 Treaty establishes. We need to accelerate our legislative processes, holding firm to its principles, of course, but also making them more realistic, more compatible with modern life. Of course, the same reflection also involves the personal sphere. I return to the example of Exosoul: we will have to protect ourselves from the technological developments we ourselves are producing.
Italy's space investments have never been as significant as they are today. What are the country's objectives, in a context of the European crisis and growing competition, including private competition?
Meanwhile, it's worth remembering that Italy has always invested in space, since the sector's inception, although never as heavily as in the last five years. Consider, for example, its subscription to the ESA Ministerial in 2019 (€2.280 billion) and the even larger one in 2022, exceeding €3.000 billion . Italy is also one of the countries that has focused on investing in the Next Generation EU space program. In short, it's clear that Italy believes in space activity as a way to revitalize its national economy.
The results, on the other hand, are excellent: we have a strong industry that wins global contracts . Furthermore, we have always demonstrated consistency in an area where programs must be planned long-term, sometimes even twenty years in advance. Therefore, from a programmatic perspective, our priorities remain unchanged: Earth observation, launch vehicles, and space exploration.
However, at the recent ESA Ministerial, we addressed new areas, such as security: Italy has a firm intention to join the European Commission's Secure Connectivity program because it believes it is the gateway to something rapidly expanding. So, of course, it is undeniable that this is a difficult period: that is why I consider it essential to pay close attention to industrial policy. We need to ensure, particularly as Europe, that we give our industry the tools to remain globally competitive.
By the way, can Europe continue to claim a central role in space?
“It is fundamental and urgent that an agreement be reached on an industrial policy that on the one hand reflects continental ambition and on the other respects national strategic interests. All this without forgetting the need to be competitive on a global scale. It is a challenge that we must begin to address already this year. Europe has a central role for space, it is indisputable: we have a strong educational system and an equally vigorous industry. We are leaders in crucial sectors, such as Earth observation.
The fact is that it's not enough, or it's no longer enough; the industry is changing and we have to adapt. I believe there are three guidelines for strengthening ourselves and maintaining our role: first, investing more in education and research. Second, finding ways to ensure greater synergy and manage internal rivalry among nations.
So, thirdly, we need to adopt simpler rules for our industry. We need to expedite contract timelines and streamline procedures. It's no coincidence that this is one of the strengths of the United States' approach to space.
Space is a traditionally male sector. What is being done in Europe to change this situation?
“All high-tech industries are male. Today there are many initiatives that encourage girls to pursue scientific faculties, for example I am thinking of PinKamp from the University of L'Aquilao at STEM Days in Turin. There are also associations that point to the same result. Little by little the numbers are changing. The recent selection of astronauts by the European Space Agency, in November, also testifies to this: of 22.000 candidates, 5.000 were women, a significant increase compared to the previous contest. Also, of the five career astronauts selected, two are women.
In the overall group, which also includes reserves and paraastronauts, women make up half. As I said, growth is slow, but understandable: it's a grassroots process that depends on how many girls enroll in science faculties or enter the field without getting lost along the way. Where female representation is lacking, or at least growing at an unacceptably slow pace, is in leading roles.
We should have the courage to hire women in positions of high responsibility, even if, with the same skills, they should have less experience than their male colleagues. I'm sure this apparent 'game' is really worth it. To this I add another normative aspect: it is necessary, especially in countries where women have a more important role in family management, to find the tools to lighten the load. On the contrary, we will continue to disperse valuable talent.”