Italian Opposition Raises Alarm Over SpaceX Involvement in Satellite Program

Italy's main opposition Democratic Party (PD) has issued a warning to the ruling coalition led by Giorgia Meloni about the potential involvement of Elon Musk's SpaceX in updating a satellite programme, according to parliamentary documents.

This week, a government proposal was approved by a lower house defence committee for replacing the old SICRAL satellite system with a new version. The original system, dating back to 2001, was developed by Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space, joint ventures involving Italy's aerospace and defence group Leonardo and France's Thales.

The PD requested clarity from the government, emphasizing that SpaceX should not be brought in to assist with launching the SICRAL 3 satellite. Defence Undersecretary Isabella Rauti mentioned that the options are under assessment, with SpaceX noted as the most advanced in the field. PD's stance is for the involvement of only Italian or European firms in sensitive security matters like SICRAL. Meanwhile, discussions on a telecommunications contract between Musk and Italian officials stalled amid political controversies.

(With inputs from agencies.)