The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) is the main event in the calendar of scientists and experts in the field of astronautics worldwide, as it brings together the most advanced fields of science, technology and industry each year in a week of meetings, workshops and scientific and technical sessions.
Politecnico di Torino (the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy), the driving force behind research on space issues and at the heart of the projects of "Città dell'Aerospazio di Torino", will play a leading role in the 75th edition of IAC, which will be held from 14 to 18 October in Milan, at the MiCo Milano Convention Centre, with a strong commitment on the part of its teaching staff and the presence of all the University's excellences in this strategic and rapidly expanding sector.
Together with Politecnico, the convention will be attended by the innovative companies incubator I3P and ESA BIC Turin, the incubation program for space start-ups managed by I3P in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Politecnico di Torino and LINKS Foundation.
The I3P start-ups at IAC 2024
On the more than 20,000 square metres of the IAC exhibition section, Politecnico di Torino, I3P and ESA BIC Turin will be present with a large stand dedicated to the theme of technology transfer, where the activities of some 30 interdepartmental centres and research groups of the University, 10 patents and Proof of Concept projects in the aerospace field and a large number of innovative start-ups supported by the three entities will be presented.
Among the young companies and entrepreneurial projects in the field of Space Economy that will be present in rotation at Politecnico di Torino's stand (its coordinates: MC-10 - Level 0) during the five-day fair:
- Monday, October 14: ORiS, Osmium Italy and Spaice
- Tuesday, October 15: Ecosmic, LOKI and Mespac
- Wednesday, October 16: Fluid Wire Robotics, ORiS, REA Space and Stratobotic
- Thursday, October 17: Astradyne, Deplotic and Volta Structural Energy
- Friday, October 18: Evolunar and SpaceMotionery
Politecnico di Torino's stand will also provide a space where companies can meet researchers, corporations and investors, to foster the emergence of new collaboration and business development projects.
Six other incubated start-ups - AdapTronics, DBSpace, Hipparcos, Kurs Orbital, Novac, Space V - will also participate in the convention, at their own stands or at those of partner organisations (including Ceipiemonte), making a total of twenty projects supported by I3P present at IAC 2024 and ready to showcase their innovative technologies in the space sector.
The international event
The IAC's travelling event, which returns to Italy after 12 years, is organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) with the support of the Italian Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIDAA) in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and Leonardo.
The motto of this year's edition, "Responsible Space for Sustainability", sums up the organisers' commitment: to work in synergy with all stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions for space exploration and its future exploitation, but also to make responsible use of current Earth observation technologies to solve climate change problems and improve life on the planet.
Politecnico di Torino will be represented at the IAC by the conference chairman, Professor Erasmo Carrera of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS), in his capacity as AIDAA President. Also involved will be Professor Enrico Zappino, Executive Project Director of IAC 2024, and Professor Alfonso Pagani, Co-chair of the International Programme Committee.
More than 170 lecturers, researchers and scientists will be present, with over 320 scientific contributions in a programme comprising some 4,200 accepted papers. As part of the programme of conferences on topics related to aerospace research, Politecnico di Torino will bring its expertise in satellite research and development, Earth observation and the fundamental field of telecommunications, participating in the main plenary debates between academic, scientific and industrial stakeholders and political decision-makers: over 50 ministers and members of parliament from numerous European countries and from the rest of the world will be present at IAC, as well as representatives from the European Union and the United Nations.
The projects of the innovation ecosystem
During the fair, the activities of the University and its partners funded under the PNRR - Next Generation EU for projects related to space research will be presented. Politecnico di Torino is the leader of the NODES – Nord Ovest Digitale e Sostenibile Innovation Ecosystem, in which I3P is also a partner for Spoke 1 dedicated to Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility.
Politecnico also coordinates Spoke 1 - Air Mobility of the Italian National Centre for Sustainable Mobility - MOST, for the future of air mobility. In addition, Politecnico di Torino leads the Space It Up! project, financed by ASI and the Italian Ministry of University and Research, with the aim of bringing together the expertise in space science and engineering, putting Italy at the forefront of research into Earth observation and protection, extraterrestrial exploration, artificial satellites and remote sensing. Space It Up! will have its own dedicated stand and many related activities.
Also starring at the IAC will be the space scientists of tomorrow: student teams from the Politecnico di Torino working in aerospace will be present at the stand with their prototypes. Among them: ASTRA, CubeSat, DIANA, PoliTo Rocket, PoliTorbital and Icarus. In addition, more than 50 students from Politecnico will participate in the congress as volunteers: a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the atmosphere of IAC and meet experts in the field.
"Politecnico di Torino has chosen to make a strong commitment to research in space-related disciplines," emphasised Professor Giuliana Mattiazzo, Deputy Director for Scientific-Technological Innovation at Politecnico di Torino. "This is a key area for the present and future development of technologies that will potentially have a major impact on our daily lives, from applications in the medical field of telecommunications and environmental safety, to Earth observation to study and mitigate the effects of climate change."
"Politecnico has therefore become a promoter of the development of the Aerospace City in Turin, an innovative ecosystem that combines the efforts of industry, academia and research in the area," added Mattiazzo. "The University encourages the development of innovative companies in this sector with the ESA BIC Turin program, hosted at the I3P incubator, and with the presence of the Galaxia hub, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti's venture capital fund for space start-ups. Not to mention the strong involvement in large projects funded by the PNRR, such as NODES and MOST, as well as Space It Up! It is clear that at the IAC Congress, Politecnico is presenting itself with a leading role on the space research scene."
