Macron calls on Europe to lead the space war, warns against 'Starlink'

Image Source: SpaceX

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Europe to become a leading space power "once again," warning that the continent risks being pushed out of the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite market, with the dominance of the US private players. 

Speaking at the Paris Air Show Friday, he said France must lead the effort to restore Europe's standing in the global space industry.

Macron issued the appeal a day after France more than doubled its stake in satellite operator Eutelsat, giving the state a controlling interest. The move is aimed at building a strong European alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink.

He said Europe faces growing competition from the United States and China, and stressed the need for urgent investment. "SpaceX has disrupted the market, Amazon is also getting involved, China is not far behind," Macron warned.

LEO satellite networks, which orbit just a few hundred kilometers above Earth, are critical for communication, defence, disaster response, and exploration. 

Macron said relying on foreign constellations would be "madness."

He invited India, Brazil, the Gulf nations, and Canada to collaborate with France on building a sovereign space infrastructure. 

He also announced a global space summit in early 2026 to rally public and private partners around this goal.

France's increased stake in Eutelsat is part of a 1.35 billion euros investment deal. Eutelsat, which merged with British firm OneWeb in 2023, now operates over 600 satellites and is the second-largest LEO satellite operator behind Starlink.

India–France space cooperation already in place 

India and France have a long-standing space partnership that aligns with Macron's outreach to global allies. In 2024, the two countries signed a defence space agreement focused on joint development of military satellites.

ISRO and CNES have also collaborated on Earth observation and climate missions like Oceansat-3-Argos and Trishna. 

India's NSIL and France's Arianespace are working together on launch vehicle development and satellite deployment.