Premier Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday
hailed the launch of the first Iride satellite from the
Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, saying it boosted
Italy's role in the space sector and confirmed National Recovery
and Resilience Plan (NRRP) funds were being used effectively.
The first Iride satellite - the Pathfinder Hawk - is now in
orbit around earth after lifting off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
from the base in California on Tuesday, the European Space
Agency has said.
"I want to express my congratulations for the launch, which took
place at the Vandenberg base in California, of the first
satellite for national constellation Iride", said the premier,
defining it a "result that consolidates Italy's leadership in
the space sector and shows the effective use of NRRP funds".
The premier added that, thanks to the cooperation between
Italian aerospace engineering company Argotec and Elon Musk's
SpaceX company, progress is being made in the "sector of the
observation of Earth, the safeguard of the environment and the
prevention of natural risks", hailing the "crucial role" played
by Italian companies in innovation and scientific progress.
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