Europe’s aerospace leaders — Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo — are finalizing Projet Bromo, a landmark plan to merge their satellite manufacturing operations into a single European space holding company, each holding roughly one-third ownership.
🌍 Strategic Vision
The new holding aims to consolidate Europe’s fragmented satellite industry and compete head-to-head with Elon Musk’s Starlink. It represents one of the most ambitious cooperative efforts in Europe’s defense and aerospace sector.
While the agreement’s structure is complete, final implementation will take up to two years, pending regulatory approvals. A previous attempt at consolidation stalled due to EU antitrust concerns, but sources say this new iteration includes balancing payments and governance safeguards to satisfy regulators.
⚙️ Governance Still to Be Finalized
Under the framework, Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo will define corporate governance later, after a period of standalone operations.
Historically, power struggles over chairmanship, CEO, and CFO appointments have hindered European aerospace alliances, including within Airbus itself. However, insiders describe a renewed spirit of cooperation, driven by declining market share and financial losses in Europe’s satellite sector.
🚀 Strategic Rationale
The creation of a unified space entity is intended to:
- Strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy in space.
- Consolidate fragmented R&D and production resources.
- Compete globally in satellite communications, defense, and low-orbit networks.
Despite the delay in announcement — reportedly only 24–48 hours — the merger remains on track.
“It’s industrially, technically, and financially complicated — but the announcement is ready,” one insider said.
If successfully executed, Projet Bromo could become a cornerstone of Europe’s future in commercial and defense space technologies.