Informative meetings dedicated to the return of lunar missions, the prospect of space tourism and the role of women in science and technology, conferences on Piedmontese aerospace industry and its important contribution to satellite and exploration projects, film screenings and book presentations with experts in the sector, guided tours of some of the most representative aerospace companies in the world, as well as exhibitions of prototypes and model aircraft, photographic exhibitions, live shows and experiential moments with the use of virtual reality, robots and drones.
All this and much more in the rich programme of four days entirely dedicated to space and astronomy that the Italian city of Turin is preparing to experience from May 4th to 7th, 2023 with the second edition of the Space Festival, the pop event - sponsored also by I3P among many others - that through an engaging mix of games, science and science fiction aims to tell the fascination of the stars and the secrets of the universe to curious people, families and enthusiasts of all ages.
Around 50 opportunities for knowledge, entertainment, storytelling and information will be hosted in different places in the city and in locations such as Politecnico di Torino, the Planetarium Infini.To in Pino Torinese, the Pinacoteca Agnelli with the Pista500 at Lingotto, the Aero Club and the Cinema Ambrosio, the Aula Magna of the University of Turin and the Cavallerizza Reale, as well as the Altec headquarters, which will open the doors of its research and production centre to visits from the public.
The Space Festival 2023 intends to strengthen the national leadership of Turin and Piedmont in the aerospace sector and to enhance, as an increasingly important component in the local economic system, its industrial ecosystem, made up of more than 300 companies and aerospace research poles among the most important in the world, capable of establishing itself internationally as one of the main players in the design and construction of everything that orbits our planet.
The "Contest of Space Start-ups"
The "Contest delle startup spaziali" initiative was devised by Marco Berry, illusionist and TV presenter, together with the incubator I3P, Politecnico di Torino and ESA BIC Turin, the European Space Agency programme that supports the best startup initiatives for space-related projects.
The contest, part of the Space Festival 2023 programme, includes a presentation and an award ceremony for young entrepreneurs from the start-ups that are part of the ESA BIC Turin community. Among the companies taking part in the competition will be Evolunar, Mespac, Nabu, REA and Volta Structural Energy, plus project teams pre-incubated at I3P, such as ORiS, and groups of students from Politecnico.
The Contest will be held on Saturday, May 6th, from 15:00 to 18:00, in presence at the Aula Magna of Politecnico di Torino (Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24) and will begin with a presentation by ESA BIC Turin. The event will include a lecture led by Roberto Battiston, internationally renowned physicist and astrophysicist, former President of the Italian Space Agency from 2014 to 2018. Starting from 16:30, Battiston will tell the audience about plans for future space exploration and the prospects of the new Space Economy, while from 17:30 there will be an award ceremony for the start-up that has presented the most promising innovative idea for the space exploration sector.
To join the event, or the others in the programme of the festival, it is necessary to register online, free of charge, on the official Space Festival website.