On 11th June 2025, the Italian Parliament approved a long‑awaited law governing authorization, supervision, liability, and promotion of space activities conducted within Italian territory or abroad by Italian operators (Law n. 89 of 13th June 2025, the “Space Law”).
The Space Law marks a first step in regulating key aspects of space activities in the Italian legal system, including launches, orbital operations, outer space explorations and debris removal.
It also establishes the “Space Economy Fund”, a national fund with an initial allocation of 35 million Euros for 2025, aimed at supporting innovation and investment in the space sector, as well as strengthening Italy’s role in the space economy, already significant in terms of technical and scientific expertise – as evidenced, for instance, by the fact that more than 40% of the International Space Station’s habitable volume has been manufactured in Italy[1].
Authorization to Space Activities and Core Provisions
A central element of the new framework is the requirement of prior authorization for conducting “space activities” (broadly defined to include launches, re-entry and in-orbit operations, assembly and use of orbiting space stations, as well as human short or long-term outer space missions), to be requested to the competent authority, i.e. the Prime Minister or the delegated political authority.
Such authorization may cover a single operation, several activities of the same type, or interconnected activities of different kinds, including the launch of multiple satellites within a constellation under a single authorization.
The granting of authorization is subject to operators meeting specific technical and financial requirements. These include ensuring safety across all phases of space activities, from design to re-entry, with measures for debris mitigation and the prevention of light and radio interference. Technical requirements also include the resilience of satellite infrastructures against cyber, physical, and interference risks, e.g. through encryption and backup systems, as well as compliance with environmental sustainability criteria, including an assessment of the impact of space objects throughout their entire lifecycle.
Operators shall also comply with general standards of conduct, demonstrate adequate technical and professional competence, and show financial capacity proportionate to the risks involved (with more flexible criteria applied to start-ups and SMEs).
The authorization is also subject to the reimbursement of administrative costs and to a contribution assessed in light of the applicant’s profile and of the mission’s scientific purpose and scale. Foreign authorizations may be recognized by Italy where provided under international treaties or, in other cases, where equivalence with the standards set out in the Space Law can be established.
The procedure governed by Space Law is articulated and may take up to 120 days for the issuance of authorization, involving several institutional actors, such as the Italian Space Agency and the Interministerial Committee for Space and Aerospace Research Policies (“COMINT”).
Liability and Insurance Obligations
Under the Space Law, operators are subject to a strict liability regime for third-party damages resulting from their space activities, both on Earth and in flight. Exemption from liability is admitted only where the operator proves that the damage was caused exclusively and intentionally by a third party unrelated to the space operation and that such event could not have been prevented, or was caused solely by the injured party.
This liability regime is consistent with the insurance obligations imposed on operators for the issuance of the authorization under the Space Law. In fact, in addition to the above technical and financial requirements, operators are further required to maintain appropriate insurance coverage for damages, with coverage caps of up to Euros 100 million per incident, and to ensure access to a collision-avoidance service.
Registration of Space Objects
In line with the obligations imposed by international space treaties, the Space Law introduces a national public register of space objects. This register, to be maintained by the Italian Space Agency, is conceived as an accessible and structured instrument for the systematic recording of all space objects launched under Italian jurisdiction or control.
The register serves several purposes: it ensures transparency and traceability of space activities, facilitates the monitoring of assets in orbit, and plays a crucial role in the allocation of liability (as outlined above), by allowing the identification of the operator and of the State responsible in the event of damage.
Supervision and Sanctions
Under the Space Law, supervisory functions are entrusted to the Italian Space Agency, which is granted access to all documents and information concerning the authorized space activity and the related space object placed in orbit. If monitoring cannot be performed for reasons attributable to the operator, an administrative fine between Euros 150,000 and 500,000 may be imposed.
In more serious cases, such as the conduct of unauthorized space activities or their continuation beyond the expiry of authorization, the violation gives rise to criminal liability on the operator.
Concluding Remarks
The adoption of the Space Law represents a milestone in consolidating Italy’s role within the global space sector, which is gaining increasing strategic and geopolitical relevance.
The new framework under the Space Law is overall consistent with international space-law regulations — for example, the Outer Space Treaty[2] and the Registration Convention[3] — through its emphasis on prior authorization requirements, registration of space objects, liability and debris management. It also follows the path of many States that have already enacted domestic legislation in these areas[4].
At the same time, the reform remains only a first step and its actual effectiveness will mainly depend on implementation, entrusted to forthcoming decrees, which will be decisive in translating general principles into workable rules.
In this context, the proposal for an EU Space Act[5] will need to be carefully assessed, to ensure consistency with national laws already adopted by several Member States and to avoid overlaps.
[1] In March 2001, with the launch of the Leonardo logistics module, Italy became the third nation — after Russia and the United States — to place an element of the ISS in orbit. Italy also built Node-2 Harmony and Node-3 Tranquility, the Cupola, and contributed to the European laboratory Columbus (see Italian Space Agency’s website, at the following link https://www.asi.it/en/life-in-space/international-space-station/).
[2] “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies”, regarded as the cornerstone of international space law. Negotiated within the United Nations framework, it was opened for signature on 27 January 1967 and entered into force on 10 October 1967. As of May 2025, it has 117 States Parties — including Italy and all major spacefaring nations — and 22 additional signatories.
[3] “Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space”, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 and went into force in 1976. As of February 2022, it has been ratified by 72 states, including Italy.
[4] As listed in the “National Space Law Database” held by the United Nations’ Office for Outer Space Affairs available at the following link: https://astro.unoosa.org/astro/national-space-law-landing-page.html.
[5] The EU Space Act is a legislative initiative launched by the European Commission on 25 June 2025 with the aim of introducing a harmonised framework for space activities across the European Union. (see https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space-act_en).