Ecuador celebrates National Space Day

(ANSA) - QUITO, 17 DIC - The Italian Embassy in Quito has once again joined the third edition of the 'National Space Day', the Farnesina's initiative to enhance Italy's image as a highly innovative country in the fields of space exploration and technological and industrial innovation.
    In a conference to be held today at the famous Escuela politecnica nacional (Ecuador's university, one of the most specialised in astrophysics and space research), the publishing project 'Roma. Second star on the right', conceived by the Farnesina in collaboration with the National Institute of Astrophysics: an astronomical-tourist guide to the city of Rome, which interweaves astronomy, art and the territory by providing information on the astronomical elements preserved in the works of art, architecture and history of the capital, also available in Spanish.
    The initiative is arousing a great deal of interest in the Andean country, from which large numbers of young Ecuadorian researchers leave every year, looking to Italy as the most sought-after destination to specialise in universities and research centres of excellence. But also because Rome and Quito are increasingly linked by intense collaborative relations involving exchanges of best practices and development projects in the cultural, tourist, and scientific fields.
    During the conference, emphasis will be placed on the strategic importance of space, culture and innovation in Italy's foreign policy under the banner of scientific diplomacy, recalling that the 2024 edition coincides with the 60th anniversary of the launch of the San Marco 1 satellite from the Wallops base in Virginia, which made Italy the third country in the world to launch a satellite into orbit after the Soviet Union and the United States.