Leonardo
LDO.MILeonardo is a multinational aerospace, defense, and security company headquartered in Rome, Italy, with a history dating back to 1948.
- Founded
- 1948
- Headquarters
- Rome, Italy
- Stage
- Public
- Ownership
- Listed
- Market cap
- $33.4B-16.3% 30d
- Employees
- 62,762as of 2025
Quick Facts
About Leonardo
Leonardo is a multinational aerospace, defense, and security company headquartered in Rome, Italy, with a history dating back to 1948. The company operates across several business areas including aeronautics, automation, cyber & security, electronics, helicopters, and space. While a broad-based technology firm, Leonardo maintains a significant presence in satellite manufacturing as part of its space division.
Leonardo invests heavily in research and development, with €2.5 billion allocated in 2024, and is actively pursuing innovation in areas like multi-domain integrated defense systems – exemplified by the recent successful testing of the Michelangelo Security Dome in Italy. The company also demonstrates a commitment to sustainability, with 64% of its financing linked to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) parameters.
With a substantial order backlog of €44.2 billion and revenues of €17.8 billion in 2024, Leonardo is a major player in the global aerospace and defense industry. Recent strategic agreements, such as the collaboration with Telespazio and Intuitive Machines, indicate a growing focus on lunar communication and navigation capabilities, expanding its presence in the space sector.
Employing over 60,000 people across 129 sites worldwide, Leonardo positions itself as a technology partner offering integrated solutions across multiple domains, with a clear emphasis on security, innovation, and sustainable practices.
Products and product lines
| Product | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Space Alliance (Telespazio / Thales Alenia Space) | Satellite manufacturing and services joint ventures | Leonardo's space business is organised mainly through the Space Alliance with Thales, established 2005: Leonardo holds 67% of Telespazio (satellite services, launch and ground operations) and 33% of Thales Alenia Space (satellite manufacturing). |
| Orion European Service Module power systems | Spacecraft power hardware | Leonardo's Nerviano facility builds the photovoltaic-panel 'wings' and Power Control and Distribution Units for the Orion European Service Module; each of the four wings generates over 11 kW, supporting NASA's Artemis II mission. |
| Telespazio deep-space tracking | Ground segment / mission operations | NASA selected Telespazio for radio-tracking support during Artemis II using antennas at Italy's Fucino Space Centre. |
| Space Smart Factory (Rome) | Satellite manufacturing facility | New Leonardo Space facility in Rome targeting production of more than 100 satellites a year, alongside roughly €1 billion in new orders booked by the Space division for 2025. |
| Airbus-Leonardo-Thales space joint venture (proposed) | Pending corporate combination | Under an October 2025 memorandum of understanding, Leonardo would contribute its Space Division (including its Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space stakes) to a new pan-European space company alongside Airbus (35%) and Thales, with Leonardo holding 32.5%; targeted to close in 2027. |
Timeline
- 2025 Airbus, Leonardo and Thales sign a memorandum of understanding on 23 October to combine their space businesses into a single European joint venture (35%/32.5%/32.5% ownership), targeted to close in 2027. [source]
- 2025 Leonardo's Space division reports roughly €1 billion in new orders for 2025 and outlines plans for a new Space Smart Factory in Rome to produce more than 100 satellites a year. [source]
- 2026 Leonardo highlights its and its joint ventures' contributions to NASA's Artemis II mission on 2 April, including European Service Module power systems built at Nerviano and Telespazio radio-tracking support from the Fucino Space Centre. [source]
- 2026 Italy's Treasury proposes on 9 April replacing CEO Roberto Cingolani with Lorenzo Mariani, then managing director for Italy at missile maker MBDA. [source]
- 2026 Roberto Cingolani's last day as Leonardo CEO is 6 May, with Lorenzo Mariani succeeding him as the company reports a 33% rise in Q1 core earnings. [source]
- 2026 Leonardo opens its 'Solvers Wanted' challenge on 27 July, offering up to €50,000 and a co-development program to startups and researchers working on lunar in-situ resource utilisation technologies. [source]
Team
- Lorenzo MarianiCEO · source
Signals
- Market cap, 90 days
- -6.5%
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-10
Categories & Capabilities
Industry Categories
Stock Performance
LDO.MI · Daily close data
Funding
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Frequently asked about Leonardo
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was Leonardo founded?
- Leonardo was founded in 1948 in Italy.
- Where is Leonardo headquartered?
- Leonardo is headquartered in Rome, Italy.
- What does Leonardo do?
- Leonardo is a multinational aerospace, defense, and security company headquartered in Rome, Italy, with a history dating back to 1948. The company operates across several business areas including aeronautics, automation, cyber & security, electronics, helicopters, and space. While a broad-based technology firm, Leonard…
- Is Leonardo publicly traded?
- Yes. Leonardo trades under the ticker LDO.MI on Milan.
- What sector does Leonardo operate in?
- Leonardo works in defense, Satellite manufacturing and Satellite communications, plus 3 other space-industry sectors.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (www.leonardo.com)
- Market data via Yahoo Finance (LDO.MI) · retrieved 2026-09-14
- Company LinkedIn page
- Wikidata / Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Airbus Newsroom: Airbus, Leonardo and Thales sign MOU to create a leading European player in space (23 Oct 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Leonardo: Space division homepage · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Leonardo: Artemis II, towards the Moon with Leonardo (2 Apr 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Reuters via Yahoo Finance: Italy close to appointing Mariani as Leonardo CEO, ousting Cingolani (9 Apr 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Reuters via Yahoo Finance: Italy's Leonardo outgoing CEO leaves new boss to revise guidance after strong results (6 May 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Leonardo: Solvers Wanted — Enabling Sustainable Space Operations challenge (30 Jul 2026 listing) · retrieved 2026-09-10
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about Leonardo is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.