SpaceX and Blue Origin cancel Paris space summit attendance after White House pressure
Four American space companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, have withdrawn from next week's international summit in Paris following private pressure from the White House.
Four aerospace firms withdraw
Four United States aerospace companies, including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, have withdrawn from an international space summit in Paris scheduled for 9 and 10 September 2026. Rocket manufacturer Stoke Space and Starcloud, a startup developing orbital data centers, also notified French authorities on 3 September that they would not attend. The event, hosted at the Grand Palais under the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, is scheduled to convene delegations from more than 120 countries.
The French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space confirmed the cancellations on Thursday afternoon following reports that the White House had actively discouraged American commercial participation. French officials stated that strategic shifts and political pressure from Washington were placing unnecessary hurdles in the path of international aerospace partnerships.
It is hard not to draw a connection to the rumors of pressure that have been circulating in the press. We obviously want to continue working with our American partners and allies, even if strategic shifts and political pressures sometimes make the task unnecessarily complex.
Pressure from the White House
The withdrawals followed a private conference call conducted on 27 August by an official from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Participants in the discussion included representatives from SpaceX, Stoke Space, K2 Space, and Astra. During the exchange, the administration official cautioned that corporate presence at the Grand Palais could be perceived as tacit support for European Union policy stances.
The White House official also argued that French organizers had failed to coordinate adequately with Washington ahead of time, asserted that summit workshops were not structured to incorporate American industry viewpoints, and alleged anticompetitive practices by French authorities. The administration also raised explicit security and strategic concerns regarding the participation of Chinese representatives at the Paris gathering. While the White House maintained that final attendance choices remained with individual corporations, industry attendees reported that the briefing functioned as a direct effort to discourage attendance.
- The White House OSTP conducts a private call advising US space companies against attending the Paris summit.
- French Minister Philippe Baptiste posts on X that US companies, scientists, and officials are welcome.
- French authorities announce that SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, and Starcloud have withdrawn from the event.
- The international space summit convenes at the Grand Palais in Paris with delegations from over 120 countries.
Transatlantic diplomacy and French outreach
The dispute unfolds against broader frictions between Washington and European capitals concerning trade tariffs, troop deployments, and policy disagreements regarding the conflict in Iran. Prior to the formal withdrawal of the four companies, French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Space Philippe Baptiste sought to reassure American industry leaders. Baptiste, who previously led the French space agency CNES, emphasized on 3 September that American delegates remained entirely welcome in Paris.
America is not only welcome, we want you there. American companies, scientists, and the administration are all welcome. We are working in close coordination with my friend Michael Kratsios.
Baptiste stated that French organizers were maintaining direct communication with Michael Kratsios, the science and technology adviser to US President Donald Trump. Despite these assurances, neither Elon Musk nor Jeff Bezos had publicly confirmed their personal attendance prior to the corporate cancellations, and representatives from all four firms confirmed they will not take part in next week's sessions.
