Leonardo’s Space: Comparini Speaks

The director of the Space business unit of the Italian giant outlines the strategy of the new division, created to address the upcoming challenges beyond the atmosphere: working with institutions and for Defense, and entering the market with cutting-edge solutions, from supercomputing to computation in orbit or on the Moon.

BY EMILIO COZZI

Massimo Claudio Comparini is the new director of Leonardo’s Space business unit and brings with him a clear vision: the integration of hardware and services.
He can do this because a group like that of Piazza Monte Grappa has companies within it that cover the entire supply chain of the space economy, from the design and construction of satellites to their launch, from orbital management to data processing. In other words, from infrastructure to the final product.
These are competencies that Italy, including its Defense sector, is proud of. The mention of the defense sector is not casual, as Comparini, as reiterated in a recent interview with ‘Forbes’, is certain that the growth prospects of this sector, Leonardo Group, and its ‘allies’ must be based on public spending as the main fuel.

It is appropriate to start from extra-atmospheric horizons: ‘It will be essential to define and develop new business opportunities through an increasingly greater integration between manufacturing activities and services, the so-called downstream in terms of integrated solutions,’ says Comparini.
In other words, Leonardo aims to position itself more and more as a ‘turnkey’ service provider, relieving clients from the burden of building, launching, or managing satellites. If the parallel with a streaming platform weren’t too bold, one could speak of space on demand, a tailor-made content ready to meet the needs of clients and the rhythms of the market.

From A to Z

As already mentioned, the group relies on a solid supply chain of expertise: Leonardo itself and Thales Alenia Space for satellite design and construction, Avio (an affiliate) for launching them, Telespazio for their management, and e-Geos for processing and transforming data into high-value-added services and applications. In this sense, the former CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italy highlights the importance of “the digital technologies of the Leonardo group: supercomputing, AI, cybersecurity, and cloud,” as well as “the ability to systematize the widespread innovation, the research of our Leonardo Labs, for example, in quantum technologies and artificial intelligence developments, as well as targeted partnerships and acquisitions in frontier technologies applicable to the space sector.”

These are many ingredients, ready to hybridize as is customary in “technological cultures” that are continuously nourished. It is worth noting that part of Leonardo’s ecosystem is intertwined with the French Thales, expressed in the two joint ventures Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio. On this aspect, there will be developments, promises Comparini: “A strategic sector like space could see a reshaping of balances. Moreover, the specific industrial and competitive context of the space sector has evolved rapidly and significantly in recent years, prompting a reconsideration of power dynamics and collaboration methods. In this view, the agreements underpinning the creation of the Space Alliance with Thales were already revised last January. Following this change, Telespazio, for example, despite being jointly controlled, similar to Thales Alenia Space, by both shareholders, is fully consolidated in the group’s balance sheet.”

It is well-known that Leonardo can boast the success of the “Italian side” of Thales Alenia Space, which at its Turin facilities shapes space modules and pressurized environments that are worth international contracts with Nasa, Axiom, and Northrop Grumman, to name a few: “Italy’s space industry is now a stronger industrial player, a European leader in many sectors and beyond. It can certainly play a leading role for a more competitive Europe on a global scale.”

The push from the public sector, as the market grows

Comparini, who is still president of the board of Thales Alenia Space, a company he led for four years, emphasizes that public programs are still essential to rely on, despite the growing tide of the commercial market: “The space economy is expected to experience exponential growth in the coming decades: it is projected to reach 1.1 trillion dollars globally by 2040. Our goal is to better seize the opportunities offered by this market by positioning ourselves at the center of projects of the European Space Agency and the Commission (Galileo, Copernicus, and the European connectivity constellation Iris2), while increasing international collaborations. Growth will be pursued through the new Space Division and by enhancing the activities of the Space Alliance.”

Yet, the ecosystem is not ideal yet. Comparini’s view on this point is clear: “The European defense and space industry is fragmented. At the European level, we invest less and on a larger number of platforms; we need to create more synergies,” which is why “public support remains crucial to finance research and development programs, particularly in strategic areas like defense and security.”
This has been a long-standing criticism of Europe: the lack of unity, especially when discussing strategic sectors, where other strong, populous countries with vast know-how (the United States and China, primarily) or nations with rapidly expanding technological landscapes like India are doing better. Not to mention the lack of a common EU defense.

Pnrr, bubble risk, Italy with the right credentials

The imminent horizons also involve strong investments from the Pnrr (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) for one of the most ambitious projects: “The Iride constellation, in which we play a central industrial role. It will allow us to further enhance distinctive excellences such as radar and hyperspectral sensing technologies, but also develop fully digital ground infrastructures and new geoinformation applications based on space big data, fusion of in-situ data, and generally products from other platforms,” explains Comparini.

Strong public investments and unprecedented injections of funds, such as those in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, could, however, pose a “bubble” risk. Comparini remains calm: “This risk is always present in high-investment sectors, particularly if public funding is not used efficiently to create sustainable long-term capabilities. However, I do not believe this is the case: the Italian space ecosystem is solid, Italy has a long space tradition and, with 12 districts, more than 400 companies, and about 10,000 people employed, it is one of the main players in the sector. The country has the credentials to play the game of the space economy in the coming years.”

Towards the Lunar Economy

Focusing more on the market, according to Comparini, is not a winning strategy. The case of France proves it: while 72% of global space sales come from institutional markets (defense, weather, and science), across the Alps, it stands at 49%: “Space cannot be separated from a long-term vision, somewhat detached from commercial dynamics. Indeed, the greater exposure of the French industry in the geostationary satellite market for telecommunications has led to growing difficulties in recent years. Meanwhile, sectors considered to be solely driven by institutional goals, such as space exploration, are showing remarkable potential for sustainable development.”

Space exploration is one of the segments increasingly infiltrated by commercial initiatives, as evidenced by the race to the Moon by companies with experimental landers and rovers. However, with large programs, the lead will still largely remain the domain of governments Elon Musk aside. Leonardo aims to strengthen its role in the so-called Lunar economy: “We are at the forefront in infrastructures and services. For infrastructures, Italy, for example, is building over 80% of the Lunar Gateway at Thales Alenia Space’s Turin facilities; for services, Telespazio will lead the Moonlight project.
Our role will also be central in the development of indispensable technologies like robotics,” concludes Comparini, “and we can provide others: I am thinking of supercomputing, artificial intelligence, and cloud to analyze the large amount of data produced in space and, why not?, on the Moon. These are examples of areas where Leonardo’s strong inclination toward digitization can be connected with the new frontiers of space technology.”