Europe's Big Three Aerospace Manufacturers Combine Their Space Divisions

Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales are merging their space divisions into a new France-based company that aims to create a "leading European player in space." The joint venture, expected to launch operations by 2027 pending regulatory approval, will pool R&D resources to accelerate satellite development and strengthen Europe's technological sovereignty in space. Engadget reports: The companies Airbus, Leonardo and Thales have finalized this deal. The new unnamed entity will be based in France and will employ around 25,000 people. Airbus will own 35 percent, while the other two companies will each own 32.5 percent. Executives are hoping this company will better serve Europe's need for "sovereignty" in space and help it create a rival to SpaceX's Starlink communications network. Increasing a presence in space is also seen as a good thing for security and defense.

This isn't just bluster. Thales and Airbus have long been rivals in the satellite market, but it looks like they are friends now. Leonardo is known for space systems and services. Combining all three could actually give SpaceX a run for its money, but we will have to wait and see. There are no planned site closures, as the companies say that each home country will keep its existing capabilities. This will be a standalone company, so think of it as an extremely well-financed startup. The first task for the upstart? Reporting indicates it'll be to find more efficient ways to develop and manufacture satellites.

Re:Elon : hold my beer

[gtall]

"Without subsidies or predetermined U.S. contracts for this pathetic SpaceX", you mean. Elmo's company would be dust without Uncle Sam funding him.

Re:Elon : hold my beer

[ArchieBunker]

I asked Grok to detail the cash taken by SpaceX.

Based on comprehensive analyses up to early 2025:

Cumulative since 2003: Approximately $22.6 billion specifically for SpaceX (part of a broader $38 billion across Musk's companies, including Tesla's $15.7 billion).

This includes over $20 billion in federal contracts since 2008, with nearly $9 billion already paid out and the rest committed.
Federal and local governments committed a record $6.3 billion in 2024 alone, the highest annual total to date.

Re:

[JaredOfEuropa]

The bulk of that cash isn't a subsidy (as those numbers point out), it's payment for services. I was talking about subsidies specifically, in reaction to this (surprisingly common) statement that lumps SpaceX's earnings and subsidies together, suggesting that they live mostly on handouts.

It's true that SpaceX would struggle without those federal contracts... so would many other companies. Lockheed Martin and RTX come to mind.

Re:

[Pieroxy]

I was talking about subsidies specifically

No you weren't. You wrote:

Without subsidies or predetermined EU contracts

Re:

[JaredOfEuropa]

I didn't write that, the person I was replying to did, and you didn't even get the quote right. But I'm done here.

Re:

[DarkOx]

This includes over $20 billion in federal contracts since 2008, with nearly $9 billion already paid out and the rest committed.

So in the real world - Space X has actually received about half of what you claim, and what they have received is because they have delivered on what they were contracted to do. - So awful..

Meanwhile our so-called-allies in the EU are going to try to undercut another successful American technology enterprise by allowing their state subsidized aerospace operators to collude. - Fine, that is probably the right policy choice for them; but we should stop pretending the EU is 'friendly' and treat them like the '

Re:

[Xarius]

We definitely should stop subsidizing their defense.

I agree, I live in Europe--the problem is the USA originally wanted Europe dependent on them militarily and economically, treaties and deals all twisted Europe's arm to achieve this. It's not the USA was doing us a favour, it was all entirely in their own interest.

Re:

[jacks smirking reven]

To be clear SpaceX's entire company at one point hinged on receiving the COTS contract for Falcon1 so they could have the ability to develop Falcon 9. There's the story about the 4th F1 flight which was ride or die for SpaceX since their contract hinged on getting into space. Being able to secure those contracts (an Obama era program BTW) gave them the 3 years to develop F9.

When we say "contract or subsidy" it's a blurry thing. Yes in many cases these are contracts for services but those contracts are al

Re:

[nospam007]

The pathetic guy had 130 rocket launches this year ALONE and it's only October and 10,000 satellites are now up.

Good luck catching up for the competition.

Re:

[Pieroxy]

Your recommendation would then be to stop all other companies and give Elon the pure monopoly ?

Other than that, I'm not sure what your point it.

Re:

[nospam007]

My point is that it will need a LOT of money and time to catch up, all the while everybody using Space-Karen's launch vehicles because they are way cheaper.

The full context . . .

[Wheres the kaboom]

"Without subsidies or predetermined U.S. contracts for this pathetic SpaceX", you mean. Elmo's company would be dust without Uncle Sam funding him.

Full context:

- Every single space company gets similar “subsidies” from the government in exchange for launching government cargo. In fact, “pathetic Elmo’s” competitors get proportionally higher “subsidies” from the U.S. for the same amount of cargo. Would you prefer the “subsidies” go to Putin? That’s where they much of it was going before.

- “Pathetic Elmo” is now launching 90% of the entire world’s space cargo by weight.

-

Re:

[0123456]

The amusing part is that the only way the EU could create a rival to Starlink would be to pay SpaceX to launch the satellites. Ariane can't launch often enough and would probably cost hundreds of millions per satellite.

Gee. No Anti-trust?

[registrations_suck]

What? So Europe's big three manufacturers in this industry will stop competing and instead all work together, and that is in no way ant-trust?

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Re:

[Tirs]

We don't know yet. But the European Commission has to give its approval first. On the other hand, being from different countries might dodge the anti-trust laws (IANAL, though).

Re:

[registrations_suck]

Oh, but it's a SINGLE MARKET. They're competitors in that market. Being based in different countries shouldn't matter in the slightest.

There is zero chance regulators don't approve it.

Re:

[test321]

1) According to TFA, Thales and Airbus aren't rivals anymore (which I understood as: they specialised their offer to not have to not be competitors). 2) Still according to TFA, their objective is to rival Starlink with a LEO network. The market structure in LEO in the EU is: Starlink and OneWeb. The proposed merger of Thales-Airbus-Leonardo activities in the LEO market does not reduce the amount of competition in the EU Single Market if it creates a third actor, or if it helps the existing LEO operator OneW

Re:

[unami]

That's why, if you read it, you'll find the word-combination "pending regulatory approval" in the summary.

Re: Gee. No Anti-trust?

[simlox]

There wasn't much competition anyway: Most contracts from ESA are given such that they have to have subcontractors in many countries, so they end up subcontracting each other. This in, theory, could make it more effective, but don't expect too much. No new SpaceX here, just a money grab from EU, panicing, because we basically don't attract the entrepreneurs the US does, such we don't have our own tech, like Starlink. Why did Elon go to the US instead of Europe?

Re:

[registrations_suck]

Why did Elon go to the US instead of Europe?

Better Chinese Food?

Re:

[registrations_suck]

That's a lot of effort for better Chinese food.

Re: Gee. No Anti-trust?

[Pieroxy]

Nobody outside of the EU wants Starlink anymore since Elon threatened Ukraine to remove their Starlink access unless they sucked Trump's dick.

Now it's clear that Elon is willing to weaponize everyone's access to Starlink to serve his own petty interests. Since then several projects were started all around the world to build competing networks.

Good job Elon at sinking your own company (once again).

Re:

[smithmc]

You mean like, oh say, the United Launch Alliance?

safe

[bugs2squash]

I can't see a europe-wide organization doing anything to push the envelope, I see decision by comittee picking the most staid options.

Progress is not just a matter of improving technology, the tech will follow the aspitations

Big Three?

[alleycat0]

Isn't BAE Systems bigger than Leonardo and Thales (and maybe Airbus too)?

ULA The Sequel, European Edition

[werepants]

We've seen this story before - mortal enemies Lockheed and Boeing joined forces to created United Launch Alliance. For a number of years the company did impressive things with Delta IV and Atlas V reliability and put a lot of national asset satellites in space, but they are still stuck in the historical way of doing aerospace engineering - very low risk tolerance, very expensive, very slow. They are aiming to match where SpaceX was 5 years ago as opposed to where SpaceX is going.

It would be surprising to se