The Trump White House is reportedly leaning on American space companies to sit out President Emmanuel Macron’s upcoming Paris space summit, a move that has already prompted high-profile cancellations by several private space firms.
The administration’s apparent concern is that U.S. corporate participation could be interpreted as an endorsement of European space policies, even though the event is being branded as an international forum rather than a policymaking session.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin were among the firms that canceled their attendance on Thursday, France’s Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space said, along with Stoke Space and Starcloud.
France wants the informal “International Space Summit” to open dialogue between participants including heads of state and other decision makers and industrial or scientific groups from some 120 countries, specifically including economic rivals...
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