The Matera Space Centre, which opened in 1994, was created as part of the national and international network of centres and teleports operated by Telespazio.

The Space Centre is located next to the Space Geodesy Centre of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), which opened in 1983. Together, the two centres constitute the space hub of Basilicata, dedicated to Earth Observation and Space Geodesy.

From the Matera Space Centre, which in 2009 became a part of e-GEOS - a joint venture between Telespazio (80%) and ASI (20%) – are operated the antennae and technologically advanced infrastructures necessary for the acquisition, processing, storage and distribution of data collected through remote sensing using the main Earth Observation satellites.