Technology and Science · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Macron Calls for Shared Governance of Space at Paris International Space Summit
Macron calls for shared governance of space and Europe to build crewed spaceflight capability. Major U.S. firms SpaceX and Blue Origin did not attend the Paris summit.
Whether US companies were pressured to skip the summit.
9 of 11 outlets skipped it: amazon Leo orders six additional Ariane 6 launches to 2031.
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France 24
“Politico reported that the White House had urged US space companies not to attend”Read the original ↗
RFI and France 24 both cite Washington pressure, but with different evidentiary specificity.
Macron pushes shared governance
French President Emmanuel Macron called for "shared governance" of space in a speech at the two-day International Space Summit in Paris, and urged Europe to develop its own crewed spaceflight capability as part of strengthening the continent’s space sector.
“called for the "shared governance" of space”
Macron said, “Outer space remains the only major global commons that is not subject to regulations that match the stakes,” and added, “Shared governance is necessary to address these challenges.”
101 WIXXThe summit, held at Paris’s Grand Palais, drew officials, astronauts, researchers and industry leaders from about 120 countries, with about 2,000 participants and delegations expected to take part.
The France 24 report said Macron announced some €20 billion in investments for Europe’s space industry, while the European Space Agency director general Josef Aschbacher warned that “Satellites are really being utilised day in, day out.”F
US firms stay away
The summit’s diplomatic picture was shaped by major US withdrawals, with France’s Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space confirming that SpaceX and Blue Origin, along with startups Stoke Space and Starcloud, would not be among the attendees.
A White House official told companies that attending the two-day summit "could look like tacit support for EU policy positions", Politico reported, and France’s ministry spokesperson said, "it’s hard not to link it to the rumours of pressure in the press."
Euronews reported that Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed he would not attend due to domestic commitments, with defence minister Boris Pistorius and space minister Dorothee Bär set to go in his place.
In parallel, Reuters reported that Macron hailed an Amazon Leo deal at the opening of the summit "shunned by top U.S. space firms including Blue Origin" after what sources described as White House pressure over the summit’s Europe-led agenda.
Deals and autonomy stakes
On the commercial side, Reuters said Amazon Leo ordered six additional launches on Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher, bringing the number of Ariane launches commissioned by the company to 24 by 2031, with the new flights beginning on the Ariane 64 version in 2029.
“The Amazon Leo satellite network has ordered six additional launches”
101 WIXXReuters also reported that the deal was meant to boost production after development delays, and it quoted veteran analyst Peter de Selding saying, “It’s really unfortunate that Merz isn’t here.”
The stakes for Europe’s autonomy were framed in terms of whether it can rely on its own infrastructure, with France 24 noting Europe’s push for sovereign space capabilities since 2022 and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.F
Euronews tied the summit’s agenda to European funding and security, saying the European Space Agency approved a record-breaking €22.3 billion budget for its three-year funding cycle (2026–2028) and €35 billion for space for security and defence.