Emmanuel Macron calls for Europe’s space autonomy, while SpaceX and Blue Origin cancel their participation in the Paris summit

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Europe to strengthen its sovereignty in space and develop its own human spaceflight capability at the International Space Summit held in Paris. The event brings together representatives from approximately 120 countries and takes place amid intensifying geopolitical and commercial competition in the space sector.

Macron advocated “common governance” of space and announced approximately €20 billion in European investments. He proposed that, within the next two years, the Nyx cargo capsule reach the International Space Station, that the Argonaut lunar module land on the Moon within five years, and that a European capsule carrying astronauts be launched from Kourou, French Guiana, within ten years.

The summit was marked by the withdrawal of SpaceX and Blue Origin, as well as other American companies. According to Reuters, the Trump administration allegedly exerted pressure on the firms not to attend, although it did not explicitly ask them to withdraw.

Europe currently has no autonomous system for transporting astronauts and depends on the United States. The war in Ukraine and Starlink’s role have heightened concerns about control over critical space infrastructure. SpaceX conducted approximately 170 launches last year, while Europe carries out around 12 annually.