Guests of honor at ‘LarioSpace 2025’ include astronauts Paolo Nespoli and Walter Villadei. They will be attending the third edition of this international event all about innovations and technologies in the New Space Economy sector. The event will take place on 11th and 12th September at the Lario Space Center, the satellite telecommunication structure of Telespazio (group Leonardo) located in Gera Lario, near Lake Como.
From 2007 to 2017, Paolo Nespoli carried out three missions aboard the International Space Station as an astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA), flying both on the American Space Shuttle and on the Russian Soyuz capsules for a total of over 313 days in orbit. Walter Villadei, an engineer of the Air Force, instead was part of the suborbital flight ‘Galactic 01’ on the SpaceShipTwo of Virgin Galactic in June 2023, whereas from 18th January to 9th February 2024, he participated in the mission ‘Axiom Ax-3’ on the International Space Station. The spacesuit that Villadei wore during his last mission will be on display at the event.
‘LarioSpace 2025’ program will be spread over two days. On Thursday, 11th September, work will be opened by institutional greetings, including those from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and Telespazio. Professionals in the field will then follow these with a series of sessions: space technological innovation; sustainability in space; Earth observation; democratizing access to space; geopolitics of space.
The many speakers will include representatives from Military Aviation, ENEA, Lombardia Aerospace Cluster, Polytechnic of Turin, E. Amaldi Foundation, NASA, ESA, CERN, and companies like Leonardo, Telespazio, e-GEOS, D-Orbit, Aiko, Apogeo Space, Officina Stellare, Ali, Axiom Space, iSpace, Fortgale, and Intuitive Machines.
On Friday, 12th September, the event will continue with other theme meetings, mostly dedicated to students and enthusiasts: Moon, Mars, and space exploration; technological innovation for scientific research; space education. Interventions are scheduled by Adrian Fartade and Vittorio ‘Astroviktor’ Baraldi, two extremely popular space divulgers. An expansive exhibition area will be set up, with stands from institutions, companies, and startups showcasing their latest technologies.
There are also two major new features planned for ‘LarioSpace 2025.’ First of all, the ‘LarioSpace Innovation Competition’ has been organized, a competition searching for SMEs and startups that develop innovative and disruptive products or services in the space sector. Applications are open until 15th August. The declared winning company will win an exclusive package designed to accelerate its growth in the space sector.
The second new feature is the ‘Lario Stellar Aperitif,’ a networking event taking place on the evening of 11th September, featuring an aperitif and live music, with special guests The Space Pianist (Leonardo Barilaro) and Klaus (Tudor Laurini).
‘LarioSpace 2025’ is organized by Involve Space, an aerospace company offering stratospheric balloon launch services, in collaboration with Telespazio. ESA is the official sponsor of the event. The event has the patronage of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Italian Space Agency (ASI), National Body for Civil Aviation (ENAC), ENEA, CNA, and the Chamber of Commerce Como-Lecco.
Source and photo credit @LarioSpace 2025 Press Office-Mediarkè srl
