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President,
ASI – Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
Executive Vice President, Space
Commercialization,
Axiom Space
Chief Innovation Officer ,
AIKO Space
Managing Director,
Voyager Space Europe
Lead Application Engineer,
Ansys
Head of institutional relations (with ESA,
CNES) for civil programmes ,
ArianeGroup
CEO,
Agricolus
Founder & CEO,
Sirius Space Services
Solutions Architect, Aerospace & Satellite
EMEA,
Amazon Web Services
Research Director, Space Exploration
Innovation Hub Center,
JAXA
European Lead for Space Strategy and
Business Development,
Lockheed Martin
Senior Business Development Associate,
Skyrora
Cosmonaut,
Italian Air Force
Senior Vice President, Research, Digital &
Innovation,
Telespazio
Technical coordinator,
CNES Data Campus
Managing Director,
Airbus Italia
CCO,
The Exploration Company
Agronomist and Data Scientist,
Agricolus
CEO,
Opus Aerospace
Deputy CEO and SEVP Observation, Exploration
and Navigation,
Thales Alenia Space
Vice President Exploration and Science
Domain,
Thales Alenia Space
President,
TerraNIS
Head of Engineering for Services,
Rolls-Royce
R&T Aerothermal Engineer,
Capgemini Engineering
Navigation
2023 Edition
Show Dates & Location
May 20 – 22, 2024
Venice, Italy
Contact Us
spacemeetingsveneto@advbe.com
+39 (0)6 88 64 49 49
President,
ASI – Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
In charge as President of the Italian Space Agency since June 14th 2023; Full Professor of Materials Science and Technology and Aerospace Materials at Rome University “La Sapienza”.
Executive Vice President, Space
Commercialization ,
Axiom Space
Christian serves as Axiom Space Executive Vice President for Space Commercialization,bringing his unique expertise to Axiom’s leadership team to leverage microgravity as a next generation platform for innovation and discovery. He leads market and business development efforts for Axiom where he directs Axiom’s conversations with new customers while guiding the company’s development of its product and service offerings.
Prior to joining Axiom, Christian had a 17-year career at NASA involved in all things related to conducting research and technology demonstrations on the International Space Station (ISS). This included roles designing and managing science experiments for research customers and managing whole science missions on the ISS for NASA and its international partners. Ultimately responsible for all the strategic research planning for the ISS, he helped lead transition of the ISS Program from construction phase to full operations for science,
research and technology demonstrations. He has extensive history working with a variety of customers implementing diverse strategies to expand the commercialization of low Earth orbit and delivering in-space services and solutions to a variety of commercial, government and academic customers.
Christian is the recipient of numerous awards including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and a co-author on a litany of publications derived from ISS research in which he participated. He holds both a B.S. and M.S. in biomechanical engineering from Tulane University.
Chief Innovation Officer,
AIKO Space
Mattia serves as Chief Innovation Officer and his primary role involves investigating and testing innovative technologies applied to advanced automation for the space sector. He earned his degree in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Torino and gained valuable experience working as a systems engineer with the CubeSat Team Polito. Since 2018, Mattia has been an active member of AIKO, where he has honed his expertise in Artificial Intelligence, specifically in Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning. Prior to his current role, Mattia participated in several research projects and startup initiatives.
Managing Director,
Voyager Space Europe
Davide Petrillo has been appointed as Managing Director of Voyager Space based in Torino, Italy. Davide brings with him a wealth of experience in the aerospace industry, having previously worked as a business manager for Alten Ltd in London and as a business analyst for Accenture in Milano. In October 2021, he was elected as Vice President for Education and Workforce Development of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), and in 2020, he was appointed as Executive Director of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) until April 2023. Previously, he was also the team leader of FELDs Experiment selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Drop Your Thesis! 2014 program. In 2015, he won the IAF “Hans Von Muldau Team Award” for the best team project at the 66th International Astronautical Congress (IAC). Davide holds an M.Sc. in aerospace engineering from the University of Padova, Italy.
Lead Application Engineer,
Ansys
Giuseppe is an Aerospace engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the Aerospace & Defense sector, mainly in the simulation domain. After several year spent as subsystem engineer at Fucino Space Center, he moved to the Telespazio HQ, leading the simulation laboratory and participating to several R&D European founded projects.
From 2013 he joined AGI (now ANSYS), with the following achievements:
– Development of custom application for Space Surveillance Awareness & Tracking
– Space Mission Analysis & Design in any orbit regime: LEO, MEO,GEO and Interplanetary
– Design of Mission Planning System for EO satellites and development of relevant optimization algorithms
– Orbit Determination for LEO, GEO and Lunar Missions
– Ballistic Missile Defense – Interceptor guidance & control
– Cislunar Domain Awareness
Head of institutional relations (with
ESA, CNES) for civil programmes ,
ArianeGroup
• Deputy Head of Marketing for Ariane programs (2012-2016)
• Strategy analyst for civil launchers (2016-2023),
• Sales & contract manager for THEMIS programme (2023)
CEO,
Agricolus
Andrea Cruciani is CEO and co-founder at Agricolus, innovative company based in Perugia that develops digital tools for Smart Farming. He is responsible for developing business at national and international level and managing the finance area.
He is member of the Board of Directors of the Fiware Foundation and Chairman of the Smart Agrifood MSC (Mission Support Committee) of the same foundation.
Founder & CEO,
Sirius Space Services
At the age of 19, Antoine Fourcade embarked on his entrepreneurial journey, driven by his passion for space and fueled by the vision of enabling sustainable access to it. In April 2020, he founded Sirius Space Services, a news space startup focused on innovation, challenge, and sustainability, asserting that « the need to meet market demand must not compromise a responsible approach. » Three years since its inception, the company counts a team of fifty collaborators, comprising a diverse array of talents working alongside space industry experts, in order to developp a range of launchers ; sovereign, 100% reusable, dedicated to small satellites. All united by a common ambition: « to shape the future of space together.
Solutions Architect, Aerospace &
Satellite EMEA,
Amazon Web Services
Giulio Autelitano is a Solutions Architect at AWS helping aerospace customers accelerating innovation trough the AWS cloud. He has a master degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Pisa and previously worked as a researcher in AI/ML at Stanford University and as a Robotic Engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Research Director, Space
Exploration Innovation Hub Center,
JAXA
Dr. Munetaka Ueno is the Research Director of the Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center at JAXA and a Professor at Osaka University. With a Ph.D. in physics from Kyoto University (1994), he has held various roles, including heading the mission instrument technology group and serving as the Chief Engineer at JAXA. His expertise lies in observational astronomy, solar system science, and space development. Dr. Ueno has contributed to missions such as AKARI, AKATSUKI, and HAYABUSA. Additionally, he has held leadership positions in the Astronomical Society of Japan, played key roles in space science advisory committees in Japan, and chairperson of Standing Space Agency Subcommittee, International Project Management Committee. Recently, he was appointed as the project manager for a moonshot R&D project.
European Lead for Space Strategy
and Business Development,
Lockheed Martin
Marco Tantardini is European Lead for Space Strategy and Business Development at Lockheed Martin, based at the Lockheed Martin office in Rome (Italy).
From May 2021 to October 2022, he has been an Expert for Space Policy in the Italian Government, in the Office of the Prime Minister, advising the Chair of the inter-Ministerial Committee for Space Policy (the Italian National Space Council). In 2019-2020, he was a member of the staff of the Secretariat of the first Italian National Space Council. In 2015-2018, he has been an Italian Space Agency (ASI) Associate in the Unit of the Technical Advisors to the President, appointed as the ASI technical contact point with the NASA HQ in the NASA-ASI feasibility study for the Italian participation in the NASA’s ARM Program (Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission, ARRM, phase). In 2015, he chaired the working group for the Office of the Military Advisor to the Prime Minister of Italy tasked to define a roadmap for automated transport.
He holds a BSc in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, received a MSc in Space Engineering from the Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, and completed the executive program Senior Executives in National and International Security (SENIS) at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Senior Business Development
Associate,
Skyrora
Rosie is a senior business development associate at Skyrora Ltd, a UK-based launch vehicle provider. Rosie fosters and manages relationships with satellite clients, collaborators and partners, working closely with the engineering team to ensure alignment with their work towards suborbital and orbital launch vehicle development.
Cosmonaut,
Italian Air Force
Born in Rome in 1974, Walter Villadei earned a degree in Space Engineering from the Federico II University of Naples. He initially served in the Operations Department of the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa, as a Technical Officer. Transferred to the General Staff in 2003, he carried out various coordination and management functions within the AM, Defense and national space programmes. In 2008-2009 he carried out training activities at Star City, in Russia. In September 2021 he began a new path as a professional astronaut thanks to an agreement with Axiom Space. In 2023 he participated in the role of commander in the Virtute-1 mission (Italian Flight for Research and Technology sUborbiTalE), born from a commercial agreement between the Air Force and Virgin Galactic.
Senior Vice President, Research,
Digital & Innovation,
Telespazio
Marco Brancati began his career at Selenia Industrie where he dealt with System Analysis activities for the Electronic Defence Division, prior to moving to the Telespazio Group in 1990.
In September 2008 Marco was appointed Vice President of Telespazio Network & Connectivity Business Line, responsible for the development of all TLC and TV programs and products in the company. In February 2011 he was appointed Senior Vice President of Network & Connectivity Business Unit at the Group level. In the same year he completed his Executive Leadership Program at London Imperial College.
In 2016 Marco was appointed Chief Technology & Innovation Officer for Telespazio Group, in charge of Innovation and Technology Governance. In June 2021, such role was enriched with the responsibility for Information Technology and Sustainability. In addition to that, from June 2023 he is also in charge of Research Funding and Digital Engineering for the whole Telespazio Group, being SVP of Research, Digital and Innovation Unit
From 2022 he is Vice President of Space Exploration Commission within “Ordine degli Ingegneri” organization in Roma.
Technical coordinator,
CNES Data Campus
Jean-Marc Delvit received his Ph.D in signal and image processing from Supaéro, France in 2003.
He then worked for the French space agency (CNES) in the field of very high resolution Earth observation satellites design (SPOT, Pléiades, CO3D, Hélios, CSO…).
In 2018, he developed the CNES earth observation lab’ in charge of applications using spatial data, in close collaboration with all the final users (institutional, private, research and defense).
Since 2022, he has ensured the technical coordination of the CNES data campus, a division in charge of all CNES spatial data, from despatialization to final use.
His areas of interest are image processing, in particular photogrammetry issues, data hybridization in Earth observation, analytics and Earth digital twins applied to different thematics (coastal, risk, urban, watershed, specific areas…).
Managing Director,
Airbus Italia
Milena Lerario is Managing Director of Airbus Italia since April 2022, aiming to reinforce the company’s position as a key player in the Italian space industry. She officially began working for Airbus in 2012 in Germany, in the engineering department, where she participated in the repair campaign for the vertical tail plane of the A380; Lerario then moved on to manufacturing and certification of the wings for the A350 between Germany, France and England. Over the years she has worked in management roles in different functions, from Corporate Audit to Human Resources, in different Group locations in Germany, France, England and Spain. In Madrid, she served as Head of Spacecraft Plants Production at national level, implementing a transformation and optimization of the industrial processes of the plants towards greater innovation and digitalization.
A graduate in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Pisa, she holds a Master in Business Economics from Bocconi.
CCO,
The Exploration Company
Dana Baki is the Chief Commercial Officer of The Exploration Company, one of the fastest growing space companies globally, building reusable space capsules and lunar landers. This Nyx capsule will be the first to use green propellant globally, while flying at a fraction of the cost of global competition.
Prior to joining The Exploration Company, Dana was the co-founder & COO of MUNCH:ON, a food technology platform based out of the Middle East, that was acquired by Careem (Uber’s subsidiary in the region). Before starting MUNCH:ON, Dana was a Partner of Business Development at AlJal Capital—a financing and venture capital firm in the United Arab Emirates. Previous to that, Ms. Baki worked for Procter & Gamble in the United States for 7+ years, benefiting from a wide range of assignments within the company and gaining expertise in Corporate Strategy, Marketing and Consumer Insights.
She holds an MBA from Georgetown University and B.A. in Economics and English Literature from The University of Michigan.
Agronomist and Data Scientist,
Agricolus
Alessandro Vignati is an agronomist specialized in precision farming. In particular, he deals with research and development of Decision Support Systems (DSS) for accurate prediction of agrosystem phenomena, such as crop growth, macronutrient removals, disease and pest attacks, by using climate data and satellite images. He started his career in the academic sector and then moved to industry working in Agricolus.
CEO,
Opus Aerospace
Passionate about Space, aerospace engineer from IPSA & completed Challenges+ at HEC Paris. With experience at Airbus/CNRS and the development of experimental rockets with CNES, today he is CEO of Opus Aerospace.
Deputy CEO and SEVP Observation,
Exploration and Navigation,
Thales Alenia Space
Massimo Comparini is Deputy CEO, Senior Executive Vice President Observation, Exploration and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space as well as CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia.
He has a long and proven track record in space industry, from technology to services, and in the earth observation domain; in 2016, he was named CEO of eGeos, a joint venture between Telespazio (80%) and the Italian Space Agency (20%). and Director Line of Business Geo Information at Telespazio.
He was, at the same time, Chairman of GAF and EarthLab Luxembourg.
In 2013, Massimo Comparini was appointed CTO of Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%). He started his career in 1983 at Selenia Spazio (later Alenia Spazio), holding various management positions, up to his position as Chief Technology Officer.
Massimo Comparini holds a Master Degree in Electrical Engineering, Remote Sensing and Radar Systems from the University of Rome La Sapienza, as well as a Degree in Strategy from the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University.
He is member of the technical-scientific advisory board of the Research, Development and Higher Studies Center in Sardinia -CSR4 – (Italy).
Vice President Exploration and
ScienceDomain,
Thales Alenia Space
Born in Avigliana (TO) the 7th of April 1955, Walter Cugno boasts a 40 years long experience in the development of complex projects in the field of Aerospace, most of all for Space Exploration programs in both manned and robotic configuration.
Across the years he has been taking on assignments with increasing responsibility, from Aeritalia, Alenia Spazio, Alcatel Alenia Space to Thales Alenia Space.
Before the creation of the Joint Venture between Leonardo and Thales, Walter Cugno has served as Program and Operation Manager, acquiring an extensive know how in engineering, design, production & manufacturing, assembly, integration, testing and R&D.
He had significant roles in projects like Spacelab, Tethered Satellite, IRIS, Lageos, Hipparcos and SAX X-ray satellites, acting as Product Assurance Manager, Assembly, Integration and Test manager, Launch Operation Manager and Project Manager.
From 1997 to 2013 served as Program Manager of International Space Station programs, in particular for New NASA Initiative like the Nodes 2 (Harmony) & 3 (Tranquility), the Cupola, the
PMM (Pressurized Multipurpose Module) and the Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Modules.
Since January 1st, 2016 Walter Cugno is Vice President of the Domain Exploration and Science of Thales Alenia Space and Responsible of the activities and the site in Turin. He is also Member of the Steering Board of ALTEC, company jointly owned by Thales Alenia Space and the Italian Space Agency.
President,
TerraNIS
Marc holds Master and Doctor (in Digital Signal Processing) engineering diplomas from Ecole Nat Sup des Télécoms (Paris, 1977), and an Executive MBA (HEC/CPA, 1996). Marc has spent around 35 years in the space industry and reached the senior executive management level in EADS Astrium. In 2010, he took the position of Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Development Director at EADS Astrium and he created Astrium Consulting division. Marc Tondriaux left Astrium at the end of January 2014 in order to dedicate his full time on the creation and setup of TerraNIS SAS. Marc is the President of TerraNIS. He is also Chairman of the EARSC association.
Head of Engineering for Services,
Rolls-Royce
Vianello completed his Bachelor and Master´s degree in Aerospace Engineering by University of Padua. Subsequently Vianello has worked for Rolls-Royce in the UK, Canada and Germany gaining technical and leadership expertise across maintenance operations, aftermarket engineering and cost engineering. Currently Vianello leads the Engineering for Services function within Rolls-Royce Electrical.
R&T Aerothermal Engineer,
Capgemini Engineering
Sarhan is an experienced aerospace engineer specializing in space systems and aerothermal engineering, currently serving as a consultant with Capgemini Engineering in Belgium. He has supported the research & technology activities at SAFRAN Aero Boosters, focusing on the development and optimization of thermal systems in engines and aerospace equipment. Previously, he led the coordination of Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration, and Testing (MAIT) activities at SABCA during the qualification campaign for the Thrust Vector Actuation Subsystem, designed for nozzle steering in two critical stages of the Ariane 6 launcher developed by ArianeGroup on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). He also co-leads partnerships at MISI, a non-profit organization promoting a thriving space science and technology ecosystem in Morocco and Africa through collaborations with academic and industry organizations. Additionally, Sarhan has gained diverse experience across multiple leading companies in the aeronautics, space, and defense sectors, contributing to various capacities that include system design, project management, and technical documentation.