The Internationalization of the Space Industry – Anecdotal Evidence from an Italian SME

Advances in the space industry, with its implications on science, economy and well-being of citizens, is mostly chosen as one of the priority areas for development by developing countries and newly industrialized countries. However, there is already an over-capacity in the global space industry and there are doubts on necessity of additional capacity establishment by developing countries and newly industrialized countries. Drawing on the experience of internationalization of an Italian Small Medium Enterprise, this chapter provides some insights over the challenges experienced by developing countries and newly industrialized countries to attract foreign investments for the establishment of the industry. The study relies on a structured research protocol where primary data was collected from several interviews with the firm and European space agencies.