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.
65 Articles
65 Articles
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Decision comes after the White House has pressured several companies in the space sector not to participate in the meeting, claiming that the presence could be interpreted as supporting the EU's positions.
Washington does not welcome the diplomat. The tension after the comments of Paris on the American decision to block the reconfirmation of Volker Türk as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
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