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The close relationship between President-elect Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk worries some in the European space industry.
BREMEN, Germany—The election of Donald Trump to another term as U.S. president has become a rallying point for the European space sector to strengthen its sovereign capabilities amid concern that America will turn more protectionist.
“You should never waste a good crisis,” Phil Chambers, CEO of rocket startup Orbex, said Nov. 19 at Space Tech Expo Europe here. “We all know what Trump’s agenda is,” he added, in reference to the president-elect’s America-first stance.
Chambers said the interesting new dynamic compared to Trump’s last term in office is the close relationship between Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk. It likely means U.S. launch companies will enjoy more preferential treatment. That makes supporting a sovereign European space launch ability more critical, Chambers said.
ArianeGroup Chief Financial Officer Pierre Godart said the outcome of the Nov. 5 elections in the U.S. could be a good thing if it drives Europe to be more ambitious in space. But Godart also said he worries that the transatlantic cooperation that also has long existed between Europe and the U.S. may suffer under a more protectionist U.S. administration.
“It is extremely important to create an internal market” in space in areas such as rockets, Earth observation and security, added Hermann Ludwig, who leads the European Space Policy Institute think tank.
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