White House pressures US space firms to skip Paris space summit, sources say
The White House warned U.S. space firms that attendance could be seen as backing European Union space policy, even as federal agencies still plan to go.
- On a private call, a White House science and tech official warned SpaceX, Stoke Space, K2 Space, and Astra that attending next week's two-day Paris summit could be read as endorsing European Union space policy.
- The administration official faulted France for failing to coordinate with the U.S., accused it of "anti-competitive practices," and flagged concerns about China's presence at the event.
- While private executives scrambled to find a way to bow out, officials from the OSTP, the State Department, the Commerce Department, and NASA confirmed they still plan to attend the summit.
- Tensions already exist between the U.S. and Europe over President Trump's tariffs, troop deployments, and the Iran war, though President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron have generally maintained cordial rapport.
- The summit arrives as Europe seeks to build sovereign space capabilities, with Macron announcing a planned increase of €4.2 billion in military space spending from 2026 to 2030, bringing total military spending to €10.2 billion.
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38 Articles
Four American space companies said they will not participate in the space summit of French President Emmanuel Macron, which will take place next week in Paris, after being subjected to pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration, reports POLITICAL.
Companies of Musk and Bezos will not come to the space summit in Paris
The companies of Musk and Bezos will not attend the space summit in Paris.Rocket manufacturer Stock Space and startup Starcloud also declined to participate in the forum on September 9-10, Politico reported. In Paris, the decision of...
SpaceX and Blue Origin drop out of Macron's space summit after White House pressure <p>Four U.S. space companies have refused to participate in Macron's summit after alleged pressure from the Trump administration. West will take place on September 9—10</p>.
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