PARIS, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The first International Space Summit opened on Wednesday, with nearly 120 foreign delegations discussing the future of space, from security and regulation to commercial development. But several major U.S. space companies were absent after reportedly coming under pressure from the U.S. administration.
The withdrawals reflect growing competition in the space industry, with Washington seeking to preserve American space superiority and Europe seeking greater autonomy.
A PULLOUT UNDER PRESSURE
SpaceX, Blue Origin, rocket maker Stoke Space and space data-center startup Starcloud told French authorities they were canceling their participation in the summit, according to an official from the French space ministry.
Politico reported earlier that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) had urged several U.S. space companies not to attend, warning that participation could be seen as support for European policy positions.
The OSTP official told industry representatives that France had not coordinated with the United States on the summit, accused the country of "anti-competitive practices," and suggested that the event's panels were not designed to include the American perspective and could diminish U.S. industry efforts, according to Politico's sources.
A spokesperson for France's ministry for higher education, research and space said that "We obviously want to continue working with our U.S. partners and allies, even though strategic about-turns and political pressures sometimes make the task needlessly complex."
"America is not only welcome -- we want you there," French Space Minister Philippe Baptiste said on X, adding, "Do not be afraid of multilateralism."
Xavier Pasco, director of the Foundation for Strategic Research, said Wednesday in an interview with Belgian public broadcaster RTBF that the absence of major U.S. companies was politically influenced, as the EU is preparing its Space Act.
The new legislation will establish a framework for the governance of space activities, and the United States also wants to have a say in the new rules. "There is therefore an aspect of symbolic confrontation," Pasco said.
"Space is affected by the upheavals of geopolitics," said French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, Macron's special envoy for the summit, in an interview with French television channel TF1 on Tuesday.
A SPACE RACE
The pullout came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump posted an image on Truth Social bearing the words "THE MOON IS OURS" alongside a U.S. flag.
In December 2025, Trump signed an executive order titled "Ensuring American Space Superiority," which called for returning Americans to the moon by 2028, laying the foundation for lunar economic development and preparing for a journey to Mars.
Eric Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica, said one motivation for the U.S. companies' withdrawal was that U.S. policy officials viewed the commercial space industry as a major American strength that should be protected.
A space company official who attended the summit attributed the withdrawal to Trump's attitude toward Europe and Macron. "This is so typical of Trump," the official said. "Trump likes to belittle Europeans ... and even more Macron, who somehow embodies European 'leadership.'"
At the same time, France and other European countries are seeking to strengthen Europe's own space capabilities and reduce reliance on the United States.
"The silver lining is we're diversifying our partnerships around the world, investing in our own space industry. It's not about uncoupling but looking at what we can do with other partners," said a space official.
Christophe Grudler, a French member of the European Parliament who worked on the EU Space Act, said that if other players in the space sector adopted "a more cooperative attitude," they would "obviously score points."
One area of tension is satellite communications. Edward Northmore wrote in Tech Times that the EU's IRIS² satellite program is one reason the White House OSTP accused France of "anti-competitive practices." He said Europe's push for greater satellite sovereignty could pose a commercial challenge to SpaceX's position in the satellite broadband market.
The CEO of a satellite company told Politico that "the two key issues at stake are indeed access to two limited resources -- orbit and spectrum -- in a context where SpaceX has a policy of complete dominance over both."
"It's therefore not surprising that Europe wants to focus on this, and it's not surprising that the U.S. administration is responding with a boycott," the CEO added.■
