spacetoday.net: Airbus, Leonardo, Thales to decide in July on space business combination

Posted: Sat, Jun 21, 2025, 8:29 AM ET (1229 GMT)
Three European companies who are studying a combination of their space businesses expect to decide in July whether to proceed. At a press conference Tuesday during the Paris Air Show, Roberto Cingolani, CEO of Leonardo, said discussions his company is having with Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space about combining their space businesses are approaching a "go/no-go" decision he expected by the end of July. That decision will incorporate antitrust concerns, due diligence regarding the companies' finances and "value creation" such a combination would offer. The combination, the companies have argued, would create a "European champion" in satellites and related technologies better able to compete with American firms. Cingolani said that such a combination would likely be modeled on MBDA, a European missile manufacturer created by combining business units at three companies.