Como Calling Houston
Como Calling Houston
Five years ago, I founded Involve Space in a small office in Como. Today, we have a U.S. office and a launch base at Houston Spaceport, in Texas, shoulder to shoulder with NASA, Axiom Space, and Intuitive Machines: past, present, and future of space exploration.
At the end of March, I travelled to Washington, D.C., with Satellite Show 2026 as the first stop. Four intense days of conversations with international stakeholders across the satellite and defense ecosystems, focused on real-world applications of our HAPS and geo-AI technologies. The event was an opportunity to once again experience the strong support provided to Italian companies by ITA Italian Trade Agency, Houston Office and our diplomatic network in the United States, led by the Ambassador of Italy, Marco Peronaci.
That same support continued as I moved to Houston, where we officially inaugurated Involve Space's U.S. commercial office and launch base. This milestone was made possible thanks to the expertise and market knowledge of our local Business Development Partners: David Logsdon (former U.S. Air Force), Courtney Stadd (former NASA), and Salvatore Grignano (Director of Go On Group in Houston).
The inauguration ceremony was hosted at the Consulate General of Italy in Houston by the Consul General of Italy, Mauro Lorenzini, in the presence of Filippo Fusaro, Director of ITA Italian Trade Agency, Houston Office.
While our first commercial launches from the Houston Spaceport are scheduled for late 2026, our U.S. operations are already active. During the ceremony, Olivia Gámez Holzhaus, Founder and CEO of Rhodium Scientific, and I signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on integrating space biotech experiments into our stratospheric platforms, validating them in near-space conditions before deployment in orbit.
Then, finally, the office.
I'll admit it: seeing the Involve Space name on the entrance at 11602 Aerospace Avenue, just steps away from Shuttle Independence, made everything feel real. A tangible moment, one that marks not an arrival, but a new launch point.
This milestone has been in the making since January 2025, when our team carried out the first stratospheric launch ever conducted from the city of Houston: a five-hour flight across Texas, covering 400 km and reaching an altitude of 26 km.
That mission started a conversation. This journey has turned it into something concrete.
Our headquarters will remain in Italy. Research, engineering, balloon and gondola manufacturing, geo-intelligence systems development: our technological core stays where it all began.
Being present in the United States is not about shifting focus. It's about expanding our reach.
Europe has given us structure: regulatory strength, scientific depth, and access to funding. Programs like Innowwide, along with partners, investors, institutions, and early customers, have played a fundamental role in our journey. That trust remains central to who we are.
The United States add speed, scale, and an ecosystem where technological evolution is continuous, and often exponential.
The real opportunity is not choosing between the two. It's operating in both, with consistency.
I would like to thank the Consul General of Italy in Houston, Mauro Lorenzini, and the Director of ITA Italian Trade Agency, Houston Office, Filippo Fusaro, for ensuring that our U.S. launch received the institutional recognition it deserved; David Logsdon, Courtney Stadd, and Salvatore Grignano for building this market entry with us; and the Innowwide program and its Project Manager, Fabio Piazzai, for making this step structurally possible.
Special thanks to Olivia Gámez Holzhaus at Rhodium Scientific, Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation at Houston Airport System, Arturo Machuca, Director of Ellington Airport & Houston Spaceport, Jimmy Spence and the team at Houston Spaceport, who believed in our North American vision before it even had a physical address.
Growth is not announced. It is built, step by step, often overcoming the unexpected.
Houston, here we are.