SPACE SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS: ASI'S CONTRIBUTION IN SUPPORTING THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

In the era of Space Economy, satellite services represent a key element that must be valued and promoted by institutions at local and global level, because they can ensure sustainable economic development and generate benefits for citizens and society. For this reason, they have been recognized among the top strategic priorities of the Italian Space Agency, which deals with the implementation of national space policies. With the main objective of stimulating the growth of the national downstream ecosystem, the Agency has proposed and started the I4DP - Innovation for Downstream Preparation program, which, through cyclical initiatives, offers support to public and private users for the creation of innovative space solutions helping the processes of management and development of the territory and its resources. This work aims to provide a complete picture of the state-of-the-art of the I4DP program and its future prospects, showing the potential effects to support the entire Italian community along the entire value chain of space services and the downstream economic sector, with a focus on selected projects within some identified topics of particular interest such as infrastructure monitoring, the fight against climate change and the adaptation to its effects, precision farming, the sustainability of cities.