Walter Cugno

Born in Avigliana (TO) on April 7, 1955, he has gained over fifty years of experience in the development of space programs for both human and robotic space exploration, holding, since joining the company on February 13, 1975, positions of increasing responsibility within Aeritalia, Alenia Spazio, Alcatel Alenia Space and Thales Alenia Space. Prior to the creation of the Joint Venture between Leonardo and Thales, at Alenia Spazio he held the role of Operation and Program Manager, developing significant expertise in engineering, development, production, assembly, integration and testing as well as in the development of new technologies, occupying over time positions of increasing responsibility. He has held significant positions in important projects such as Spacelab, Tethered Satellite, IRIS, Lageos, Hipparcos, Bepposax, in roles of Product Assurance Manager, Assembly, Integration and Test Manager, Launch Operation Manager and Project Manager. From 1997 to 2013 he served as Program Manager for programs related to the International Space Station, specifically the Node 2 (Harmony) and Node 3 (Tranquility) programs, the Cupola program and the MPLM (Multi Purpose Logistic Module), Pressurized Multipurpose Module, Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module programs and next-generation NASA exploration programs. Still within Thales Alenia Space, he served as Director of the ExoMars Mars exploration program from 2013, reaching this appointment thanks to the knowledge acquired through both technical and management roles previously held within the company. From January 1, 2016 to July 31, 2025 he held the dual role of Vice President of the Exploration and Science Domain of Thales Alenia Space and Head of the Turin company site. Member of the Board of Directors of ALTEC, a company jointly owned by Thales Alenia Space and the Italian Space Agency. From 2025 Vice President of the Aerospace District