Leonardo is building its own satellite constellation. Not through Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture it shares with Thales, but as a direct investment by the parent company — roughly €500 million committed to a fleet of approximately 20 satellites carrying SAR, optical, and communications payloads. Massimo Comparini is the person Leonardo chose to lead that effort.
Comparini became Managing Director of Leonardo’s Space Division in February 2025, following four years as Deputy CEO and Senior Executive Vice President for Observation, Exploration, and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space, where he also served as CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia. He holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Remote Sensing and Radar Systems from Sapienza University of Rome and a degree in Strategy from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. His career in the European space industry spans more than four decades, beginning in 1983 at Selenia Spazio, a predecessor of today’s Leonardo space businesses.
The Space Division consolidates Leonardo’s interests across the satellite value chain. Through Thales Alenia Space, Leonardo builds satellites. Through Telespazio, it operates them. Through e-GEOS, it distributes Earth observation data. With the proprietary constellation, Leonardo is adding a fourth role: owner-operator. For a company that has historically sold hardware and services to institutional customers, the decision to invest its own capital in a satellite fleet marks a strategic shift.
The constellation will combine SAR and high-resolution optical imaging with dedicated communications satellites, connected by optical intersatellite links. Thales Alenia Space will build the spacecraft at its Space Smart Factory in Rome, a facility inaugurated in October 2025 and designed to produce up to 100 satellites per year. A critical design review is planned for June 2026, with launches projected for 2027 and 2028.
The investment reflects a broader pattern across Europe’s defense-aerospace sector. In February 2026, SatNews covered Leonardo’s SmallSat Symposium keynote, where Technical Director Dr. Marco Brancati described a strategy of integrating vertically across the EO value chain. In January 2026, the third COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite reached orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, extending Italy’s sovereign SAR capability. And in November 2025, the IRIDE constellation added eight more smallsats, building Italy’s national EO infrastructure.
At SmallSat Europe, Comparini delivers the keynote “Decoding Europe’s Smallsat Ascent.”
Europe’s largest defense and aerospace companies spent years watching the smallsat market from the sidelines. Comparini is leading one of them onto the field.
