Macron hosts global space summit in Paris snubbed by US companies

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting dozens of leaders, technology experts and scientists in Paris for a two-day global space summit that opens on Wednesday, as major US companies including SpaceX and Blue Origin stay away. Issued on: 09/09/2026 - 08:00 3 min Reading time Around 2,000 participants from 120 countries are expected at the International Space Summit at the Grand Palais, with Russia, Iran and North Korea among the notable absentees. Germany is co-hosting the event with France, although Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed last Friday that he would not attend because of scheduling conflicts. The summit aims to produce joint declarations laying the groundwork for future negotiations on issues including space traffic and the sharing of scientific data from space. Contracts are also expected to be signed, while space ministers will discuss Europe's position in a sector dominated by the United States and China. ESA at 50: five decades of space innovation and cosmic achievements US companies absent Some of the biggest names in the US space industry will not attend. France's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space confirmed last Thursday that SpaceX and Blue Origin, along with startups Stoke Space and Starcloud, would not be among the attendees, citing political pressure. "It's hard not to link it to the rumours of pressure," a ministry spokesperson told French news agency AFP. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, carries astronauts to the International Space Station. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/ A White House official told companies during a private call that attending the two-day summit "could look like tacit support for EU policy positions", US news website Politico reported, citing three anonymous sources familiar with the call. The companies on the call included billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, Stoke Space, K2 Space and Astra. The official also said France had not coordinated with the US on the summit, accused the country of "anti-competitive practices" and suggested its panels were not designed to include the American perspective and could diminish US industry efforts, the sources told Politico. Two of the sources were connected to space companies and the third was in politics, Politico said. The White House did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. EU-China solar exploration spaceship launches successfully from French Guiana European independence France remains open to working with US partners and allies, the French ministry spokesperson said, "even though strategic about-turns and political pressures sometimes make the task needlessly complex." Washington's decision to abandon or scale back some space programmes and reduce funding for Nasa in its 2027 budget has prompted Europeans to question their dependence on the United States and their own role in lunar exploration. Human spaceflight has not previously been a priority for the European Space Agency (ESA), which has relied on the United States for astronaut access to space. Europe faces rocket shortage by 2030 as satellite demand surges ESA director Josef Aschbacher warned last month of a potential shortage of European launch vehicles by 2030, pushing Europe to develop its own solutions. Europe's heavy-lift Ariane 6 rocket could be adapted for human spaceflight, ArianeGroup executive president Christophe Bruneau told a press conference. That would require modifications to the launcher, including a configuration "allowing astronauts to abort the mission in the event of danger." Ariane 6 is set to reach a rate of nine to 10 launches a year from 2027, Bruneau said, with discussions under way on how to increase capacity. Employees of ArianeGroup and ArianeSpace look at the Vulcain®2.1 engine of the Ariane 6 European expendable launch vehicle at the Europe's Spaceport, in Kourou in the French overseas department of Guiana, on 26 March 2024. AFP - LUDOVIC MARIN Reusable capsule Ariane 6 is also on track to meet the European Commission's sovereign targets, including the Iris² satellite constellation and several German projects, Arianespace head David Cavaillolès said. Ahead of the summit, another European company announced it had raised record funding to develop a reusable space capsule. The Exploration Company, founded in 2021 by former Airbus defence and space executive Hélène Huby, said on Tuesday it had raised €387 million, bringing its total capital raised to approximately €577 million. The funds will allow the company to continue developing Nyx, a reusable space capsule designed to carry cargo to space stations and return it to Earth. Huby is serving as Macron's special envoy to the space summit alongside astronaut Thomas Pesquet. (with AFP)