White House Pressures US Space Firms to Avoid Attending Paris Space Summit
US Government Influence on Space Industry Participation at International Events
By Joey Roulette and Tim Hepher
White House Urges US Companies to Reconsider Attendance
WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The Trump administration pressured U.S. space companies not to attend a high-profile space summit in Paris organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, triggering a last-minute reshuffle and the cancellation of some announcements, according to people familiar with the matter on Thursday.
Concerns Over Policy Alignment
The White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy hosted a call a week ago with several U.S. space companies planning to attend the September 9 to 10 event and said their attendance could suggest support for European policy positions with which the U.S. disagrees, four of the sources said.
Summit Details and European Space Ambitions
The summit will feature speeches from Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as European countries ramp up investments in civil and military space capabilities and reduce reliance on U.S. firms like Elon Musk's SpaceX for satellite communications and rocket launches.
The White House officials on the call, which was first reported by Politico, steered clear of explicitly directing companies not to attend but made strong suggestions against attending, the sources said.
Impact on Announcements and Company Participation
Some announcements planned for release at the summit between European and U.S. companies have since been cancelled, according to one of the sources. SpaceX will no longer attend, one of the sources said.
Official Statements and Ongoing Collaboration
An OSTP official said, "The Trump Administration continues to collaborate with allies and partners in space. We look forward to productive conversations at the Space Summit on key priorities including science missions, exploration programs, and space security."
Purpose and Scope of the International Space Summit
France has said the "International Space Summit" will open a dialogue between participants including heads of state and other decision makers and industrial or scientific groups from some 120 countries. The aim is to discuss various declarations of intent, but the informal political summit is not designed to take policy or budget decisions, European space officials said.
Response from French Officials
Macron's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Joey Roulette, additional reporting by Karen Freifeld, Michel Rose, and Tim Hepher; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
