Macron Says Europe Must Become 'Space Power' Again

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to reassert itself as a global space power, warning that France risks being sidelined in the low Earth orbit satellite market dominated by players like SpaceX and China. Phys.Org reports: Macron spoke at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget outside the French capital a day after France more than doubled its stake in satellite operator Eutelsat, the EU rival to Elon Musk's Starlink. Macron called for more investment as the European space industry struggles to remain competitive in the face of US and Chinese rivals. 'SpaceX has disrupted the market, Amazon is also getting involved. China is not far behind, and I think we all need to be very clear-headed,' Macron said. Europe must become 'a space power once again, with France at its heart,' he said. He warned that Europeans were 'on the verge of being completely' squeezed out of the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation market.

Macron said France and its partners should not be reliant on non-European constellations in low orbit, calling it 'madness.' He called non-European players to team up with France. 'This must be the solution for our major strategic partners in the Gulf, India, Canada and Brazil,' he said. 'We really need to succeed in increasing our collective investment effort,' Macron added, noting the importance of private investors and public-private collaboration. He also said France planned to organize a space summit in early 2026 to 'mobilize our public and private partners across the globe.'

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