Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron stated at the Paris Air Show that Europe must once again become a global space powerhouse, particularly emphasizing the importance of the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation market. He warned that France and the whole of Europe risk being squeezed out of this key market.
In his speech, Macron mentioned that in the face of competitors such as the United States' SpaceX and China, the European aerospace industry is facing enormous challenges. He pointed out that SpaceX has already disrupted the market, while Amazon is also actively deploying, and China is closely following. Therefore, Europe must take action and increase investment to maintain competitiveness.
"Europe must once again become a space powerhouse centered on France," Macron emphasized. "We cannot be completely squeezed out of the low Earth orbit satellite constellation market." He noted that low Earth orbit satellite networks play a key role in telecommunications, emergency response, space exploration, and defense, and the intensifying geopolitical tensions also force countries to focus on the independence of satellite infrastructure.
Macron also called on non-European partners to join hands with France to address this challenge. He stated that France plans to hold a space summit in early 2026 to mobilize global public and private partners to jointly promote the development of space technology.
As part of this strategy, the French government has more than doubled its stake in the satellite operator Eutelsat Communications, becoming the company's largest shareholder. Eutelsat Communications is working to become an alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink and is currently the world's second-largest low Earth orbit satellite operator.
Macron emphasized that increasing collective investment is key to success and highlighted the importance of private investors and public-private partnerships. He hopes that through this space summit, further cooperation and development in Europe's space sector can be promoted.
