An Italian-run space centre in Kenya will be used again for the launch of Earth observation satellites in the coming years, Italy's industry minister said on Sunday.

"The idea is to give a new, more ambitious mission to this base and use it for the launch of low-orbit micro satellites for Earth observation, particularly for climate change phenomena such as desertification," Adolfo Urso told a press conference in Milan on the eve of the start of the International Astronautical Congress.

He said it would also be used for training of local students, industry experts and scientists.

Managed by Italian space agency ASI, the Luigi Broglio space centre is 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of Malindi and started its operations in the 1960s. Its last launch was in 1988.

Urso said that the re-launch of the space centre, which would materialise in a couple of years, was an ambition for both the Italian and Kenyan governments, and that it would fall in Rome's so-called Mattei Plan, an Italian development initiative for African countries.