BEX brings the space economy into industry

Rimini, September 18, 2026 - The space economy has entered a phase in which its value is measured on the ground, inside the industrial supply chains that already run on satellite data and technologies developed for orbit. The OECD places global space-related revenues between $550 billion and $600 billion in 2025, depending on the scope considered, a figure close to the size of the world semiconductor industry. World Economic Forum projections point to growth reaching $1.8 trillion by 2035.

The sector's weight shows up above all in its applications. According to the OECD, space systems support more than half of critical infrastructure and services across member countries, from transportation to energy and from communications to the food supply chain, and satellites provide more than 90% of the observations used in weather forecasting. About 70% of the data produced by active Earth observation missions is now openly accessible, a condition that opens the door to application development even for smaller companies.

Italy is the second country in the world, after the United States, to build a dedicated statistical account for the space economy. The survey, covering 2021, attributes 8 billion euros in production and 2 billion euros in added value to the sector, with roughly 23,000 employees. The industrial ecosystem counts more than 350 companies, from large systems integrators to specialized SMEs, alongside a fast-growing startup community. As of June 2026, Italy ranks seventh in the world for the number of actively owned satellites, 53% of which are commercially operated, and sixth for satellites launched since 2019. Italy's civil institutional space budget stands at 0.089% of GDP, compared with an OECD average of 0.065%, and the country remains one of ESA's three largest contributors (OECD, The Space Economy at a Glance 2026).

It's against this backdrop that BEX - Beyond Exploration Expo was created, the first international expo-conference held in Italy entirely dedicated to the space economy and its integration with terrestrial industry, organized by IEG. The event brings to Rimini Expo Centre the upstream space industry, downstream applications built on satellite data, and the terrestrial sectors finding new solutions and new markets in space: agriculture, food, infrastructure, automotive, health, logistics and finance.

The first edition is built around four areas: science, industry, finance and innovation, taking shape through exhibition spaces, conferences, technical workshops and matchmaking sessions that connect companies, investors, research centers and institutions.

PRESS CONTACT IEG

head of media relation & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini; press office coordinator: Luca Paganin; press office specialist: Mirko Malgieri; press office assistant: Julia Andreatta media@iegexpo.it; 

MEDIA AGENCY BEX - BEYOND EXPLORATION EXPO: MEP S.r.l.

Leonardo Vivard - leonardo.vivard@mep.it - mob. +39 3897652135 | Valentina Impellizzeri -valentina.impellizzeri@mep.it

This press release contains forward-looking statements and estimates that reflect management's current views, particularly regarding future operating performance, the execution of investments, cash flow trends and the evolution of the company's financial structure. By their nature, forward-looking statements carry an element of risk and uncertainty, since they depend on future events. Actual results may differ, even significantly, from those announced, due to a range of factors including, but not limited to: trends in Italy's out-of-home dining and tourism markets, trends in the jewelry and goldsmith market, trends in the green economy market, movements in raw material prices, general macroeconomic conditions, geopolitical factors, and regulatory developments. The information contained in this release is not intended to be exhaustive and has not been verified by independent third parties. The projections, estimates and targets presented here are based on information available to the company as of the date of this release.