The second edition of the Kenya Space Expo & Conference opened yesterday in Nairobi, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Kenya, Roberto Natali, and the Kenyan Ministers of Defence and the Environment, Aden Duale and Soipan Tuya. The event, organised by the Kenya Space Agency (Ksa) also sees among its main partners the Italian Space Agency (Asi) which, among its many activities, collaborates with the Kenyan government on the operation of the Luigi Broglio Space Centre in Malindi, created by the Italian state in 1966.
"I thank Italy and its government for the long collaboration with our space agency and related projects. By virtue of existing agreements with Italy, we have schools for the training of specialised personnel," said Minister Duale, during his opening speech at the Expo.
"Training is a priority aspect, in this collaboration between Italy and Kenya," reiterated Ambassador Natali. "The Malindi space centre can be the hub for training not only Kenyan students and technicians, but many other African countries. During the presentation, Natali emphasised the commitment of women also in space research, recalling Italian astronaut Samanta Cristoforetti.
The ambassador also retraced the history of cooperation between Kenya and Italy in the field of science and aerospace, which began with scientist Luigi Broglio's far-sighted decision to locate the first satellite launch base on the African continent, in Kenya. This history is illustrated in the exhibition 'Luigi Broglio, a Kenyan trip to the stars', curated by Freddie del Curatolo and produced by the Embassy's Cultural Office.
Together with Minister Duale, Natali inaugurated the exhibition space with senior officials from the Kenya space agency. The exhibition, organised in collaboration with Asi, Ksa and La Sapienza University, traces the history of Broglio and in particular the creation of the Malindi space base, from the installation of the San Marco and Santa Rita platforms, to the first launch in 1967, and the last one in 1988.
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