"The future of space exploration? There is currently a powerful interest, both political and otherwise, in returning to the Moon to investigate areas that have not yet been visited in order to locate water. And then there’s Mars: beneath the Martian sand lie large quantities of ice; there, we may find traces of what was once life. This is a robotic exploration that has never been done before". This was stated yesterday by astronaut and soldier Luca Parmitano at the Teatro Sociale in Trento, as part of the 20th edition of the Festival of Economics. A panel that commenced by discussing the observation and monitoring of climate change from space, with a warning: it is imperative that we act quickly to mitigate the damage, as we are already behind schedule. As for European satellite internet, the IRIS2 network will be operational by 2030. The astronaut also mentioned that Italy is the third most important country in ESA, the European Space Agency, in terms of investments, ranking alongside France and only below Germany. Another aspect that has garnered attention is the public-private relationship in space, particularly in reference to the access to space that is currently primarily in private hands, particularly in the United States. Parmitano is concerned about this, and he underscores the necessity of engaging in negotiations with those who are nearing space dominance. "We want to build bridges, not close doors. The idea that someone may choose to switch off the internet in one corner of the world with a single click concerns us. As Europe, we are falling behind in the realm of telecommunications, so we have urged the ministers of the 27 ESA countries to establish a satellite network that will put us on par with other countries. In 2030, we will have our own network, IRIS2, a European satellite constellation designed to provide safe connection that will be publicly available". Parmitano was the first Italian to perform an extravehicular activity on July 9, 2013, with a 6 hour and 7 minute spacewalk. He spent 166 days in space and was also the first Italian to command the International Space Station during Expedition 61. Back in space six years later, in 2019, he addressed a message to world leaders assembled at COP25 in Madrid, reminding them that "If we want a common enemy, we already have one, and that is climate change". The images captured in 2019 are noteworthy, as they were taken as he returned to space for the second time and observed the devastating consequences of climate change in comparison to six years prior: from the Amazon rainforest to the Australian bushfires, and from Hurricane Dorian to the floods in Southeast Asia.