Institute for Space Sciences (I.S.S.) was founded in 1990, under the name "Institute of Gravitation and Space Sciences", as an independent Institute within the Institute of Atomic Physics. The bases of the Institute were the former Center for Astronomy and Space Sciences and the laboratory of Gravitation and Inertial Techniques. In 1993 the Space Engineering laboratory was created. In 1996 the institute became a subsidiary of the N.I.L.P.R.P. as Institute for Space Sciences (I.S.S.).