The Italian Space Agency, its Vice President, Director General, members of the Board of Directors, the Scientific and Technical Council, the Board of Auditors, the magistrate of the Italian Court of Auditors delegated to oversee the Agency, together with all employees and collaborators, express their profound sorrow at the untimely passing of the Agency’s President, Professor Teodoro Valente.

The Agency extends its sincere and heartfelt gratitude to Professor Valente for the dedication and commitment with which he led ASI over the past three years, during a period of significant growth marked by major achievements for the entire space sector.

In accordance with the applicable legal and statutory provisions, and in agreement with the competent government authority, Vice President Professor Elda Turco Bulgherini will assume the functions of President in order to ensure the Agency’s full continuity and operational capacity.

Teodoro Valente, President of the Italian Space Agency since 2023, was Full Professor of Materials Science and Technology at Sapienza University of Rome and a distinguished scholar in the fields of composite materials and nanotechnology. Throughout his career, he held numerous prominent positions in academia and research, including President of the National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology, Director of the Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials of the Italian National Research Council, and various roles at the European Commission.

Professor Teodoro Valente left a unique mark on his presidency. Over the course of three years, he made a substantial contribution to establishing space as a strategic sector of the utmost importance for Italy. In his role, and in line with national policies and government guidelines, he promoted joint efforts across the research and industrial communities, helping to fulfil Italy’s international ambitions and strengthen the leadership of both the Agency and the entire Italian space system.

ASI achieved numerous and significant results during his presidency. These include, among others, the implementation of initiatives funded through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan for Space, such as Smart Factories 4.0, the expansion of the Matera Space Centre, cutting-edge technology programmes and IRIDE, Italy’s national Earth-observation satellite constellation; progress in space science and microgravity experiments; the leading role played in Africa through the space component of the Mattei Plan, as well as in Latin America, the Far East and the Mediterranean; the renewed impetus given to bilateral relations with NASA, which led to agreements for the development of the Multi-Purpose Habitat lunar module and new opportunities for Italian astronauts within the Artemis programme; support for the drafting of the so-called “Space Act”, approved by the Italian Parliament in 2025, which provided Italy with an innovative regulatory framework for the space economy; the Italian presidency of the ESA Council at ministerial level; and, most recently, Italy’s chairmanship of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

In all these endeavours, and in many others, Teodoro Valente brought his dedication to study and in-depth analysis, his research and managerial expertise, his insight and vision, and his commitment to younger generations and to encouraging them to pursue studies and careers in innovative fields capable of driving the country’s tangible and lasting development.

His legacy for the Agency and for the Italian space sector will endure far beyond a life that ended far too soon.

We will miss you, President.