So here’s the pitch: Europe’s three big defense contractors (Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales) just signed a piece of paper saying they might someday start a space company together. The journalists call it a “massive consolidation move.” Translation: three giants that haven’t beaten SpaceX alone are trying to form a tag team before Brussels stops funding their separate science projects.
They claim it’s to “rival Starlink.” That’s cute. SpaceX has ten thousand satellites spinning above your head right now, while Europe’s new dream team doesn’t even have a name yet. What they have is an MoU, the corporate version of let’s grab coffee sometime. It’s not binding, it’s not funded, but it makes everyone look very serious in front of EU ministers holding the space budget purse.
