Fondazione Leonardo and SDA Bocconi See Lab team up to research frontier topics in the space economy

“Luigi Bocconi” Commercial University - SDA Bocconi School of Management and Fondazione Leonardo - Civiltà delle Macchine have formed a partnership aimed at investigating frontier issues in the space economy. Research activities will be coordinated by SDA Bocconi’s Space Economy Evolution Lab (SEE Lab), directed by Professor Simonetta Di Pippo, and by Fondazione Leonardo - Civiltà delle Macchine, directed by Professor Luciano Violante. “Studying space means dealing with the future of the Earth and mankind”, says Violante. “In this spirit, Leonardo’s Civiltà delle Macchine Foundation is especially pleased to work with the prestigious SEE Lab at Bocconi University.”

The space sector will face two significant global challenges, namely the sustainability of the low Earth orbit, with its increasing space debris, and the use of lunar and other celestial-body resources, threatened by the emergence of an unregulated market.

As remarked by Oreste Pollicino, “in the absence of regulation concerning the use of these resources, such freedom may in fact lead to consolidating market power in the hands of a few players who are able to meet the huge entry costs, and who would consequently define standards that would extend not only to the market, but also to the States. The latter would therefore see their role in guaranteeing the proper functioning of the economy diminished.”

“It is essential,” continues Simonetta Di Pippo, “to consider the long-term sustainability of the space environment as a conditio sine qua non for the rapid development of the space economy that we all hope for. This requires awareness from all those involved, and synergy of intent between governments and industries. Combining the skills of the Leonardo Foundation, Bocconi University and SEE Lab will allow to develop solutions in an innovative way, by identifying specific cases, exploiting synergies and multidisciplinary, in line with the new strategic direction of our SEE Lab. We expect,” Di Pippo concluded, “great results from this partnership and are grateful to the Leonardo Foundation for this opportunity.”

SDA Bocconi School of Management