Marco Brancati, the Senior Vice President of Leonardo Space, meets with ChosunBiz at the Italian Embassy in South Korea on Nov. 21 and introduces, “We are developing a space cloud based on supercomputers and artificial intelligence (AI).” He anticipates that the space cloud can be utilized not only for military purposes but also in the civilian sector. /Courtesy of Lee Byeong-cheol

“In the future, space technology is expected to expand its utilization as traditional satellites are combined with supercomputers, large-capacity servers, and artificial intelligence (AI). By consolidating space with other areas, the usability of satellites can be enhanced. It is anticipated that this will support not only defense and security but also the broader society and deep space exploration.”

Marco Brancati, the senior vice president of Leonardo, met with ChosunBiz on the 21st at the Italian embassy in Yongsan, Seoul, to discuss the space cloud technology currently under development. He is visiting Korea to attend the 'Italy in Space Day' event commemorating the launch of Italy's first artificial satellite, 'San Marco 1', in 1964.

Leonardo is a defense corporation based in Rome, Italy. It produces a wide range of defense products and components, including fighter jets, helicopters, and missiles, and is considered one of the leading defense corporations not only in Italy but throughout Europe. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Leonardo was ranked 12th among global defense companies in 2019.

Leonardo announced its entry into the space industry in March last year. Since then, it has been steadily increasing its investments in the space sector. Leonardo has shown interest in space-related ventures before, having established a joint venture with the French aerospace corporation Thales called Thales Alenia Space. This declaration of entry into the space industry is interpreted as an intent to secure competitiveness in space security as the impact of space technology on defense and security increases.

Brancati noted, “Leonardo is recently establishing a new department focused on space and is attempting to strengthen its position in the space industry,” and said, “In the future, space technology will become an essential element in defense across various areas, including air, sea, and cyber security.”

Leonardo's first space project is the military 'space cloud.' The space cloud technology involves placing cloud servers in outer space to store and utilize information collected by satellites. Previously, data collected by satellites was sent to the ground, where it was processed and analyzed. The space cloud allows for direct data processing on the cloud servers on satellites, filtering out unnecessary data and sending only the useful data down to Earth. Leonardo's space cloud will be the first of its kind to be developed for defense purposes in Europe.

Brancati stated, “The supercomputer Davinci-1, introduced by Leonardo in 2021, is the third most powerful in the aerospace field,” and added, “We are creating a space cloud by combining the supercomputer and AI.”

He noted, “The supercomputer, along with AI and all areas of space technology, is assisting Leonardo's entry into the space business,” and added, “Especially with the introduction of the space cloud, we can enhance data availability and strengthen our ‘space domain awareness’ capabilities.” Space domain awareness refers to the concept of identifying all aspects of outer space related to a nation's security capabilities.

Brancati mentioned, “The space cloud can be utilized not only in security areas but also in finance, agriculture, and infrastructure,” and said, “Through our subsidiary Telespazio, we expect the space cloud can also be utilized in the private sector.”

He stated, “To realize this, a solution that allows remote control of the supercomputer is necessary,” and added, “We have cooperated with Korea for the past 20 years and expect to continue collaboration in the satellite services sector.”