Italy is one of the most important aerospace powers in the world, as well as an important member state of the European Space Agency, with a long tradition of the cultural, scientific, and technological exchanges with China and with a significant contribution to numerous breakthrough missions in the history of the space exploration. This paper reviews the historical development of the space science and technology in Italy, focusing on several main highlights, such as the import of the gunpowder from China in the 14th century, which initiated the technical development of Italy's very first rockets. Besides, the Italy-China cooperation is reviewed in the manned spaceflight, the earthquake electromagnetic monitoring in space, the space science satellites, and the numerous other fruitful results. It is concluded that the past and present cooperation between Italy and China promotes the progress of human civilization, including the contributions made by Italian missionaries to the development of natural and social sciences in China. Under the momentum of the Belt and Road initiative, Italy and China can cooperate to make even greater contributions to the human civilization and to the exploration of the mysteries of the vast universe.

Italian science and technology  /  international cooperation  /  space science  /  human spaceflight