Astronomy Prints 🌌: Europe's response to the SpaceX IPO

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Europe's response to the SpaceX IPO - SmallSat Europe 2026

SpaceNews coverage from SmallSat Europe in Amsterdam

05/27/2026 | READ IN BROWSER

The latest reporting from SmallSat Europe in Amsterdam.

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This week, SpaceNews reporters are covering the latest news on the European space sector at the SmallSat Europe conference in Amsterdam.

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European space industry watching SpaceX IPO plans

By Jeff Foust

Space companies and investors in Europe are closely watching SpaceX’s plans to go public, an event that could spur new investment in other companies.

During a panel at the SmallSat Europe conference May 26, industry officials said SpaceX’s initial public offering, expected to take place by mid-June, could encourage investors to seek opportunities in other companies in the industry.

Former Ukraine official calls for stricter restrictions on Russian use of Starlink

Kateryna Chernohorenko, Ukraine’s deputy minister of defense from 2022 to 2025, told SpaceNews during the SmallSat Europe conference that “companies like SpaceX need to be more precise in how they sell terminals to end users connected to the Russian Federation.”

The surge in military budgets can help Europe’s entrepreneurial space sector — if spending speeds up

The recent surge in European defense spending could bolster Europe’s entrepreneurial space sector, but only if bureaucratic roadblocks are cleared, panelists said at the SmallSat Europe conference.

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Europe’s satellite spectrum proposal clouds SpaceX and Viasat plans

Europe has proposed reserving two-thirds of 2 gigahertz mobile satellite spectrum up for renewal next year for European operators, complicating SpaceX’s direct-to-device ambitions and the outlook for Viasat’s European Aviation Network.

Spire expands European manufacturing with Munich plant

Spire Global has established a facility in Munich to develop and manufacture as many as 100 small satellites annually. With manufacturing plants in Boulder, Colorado, Glasgow, Scotland and Munich, Spire Global aims to produce 300 to 400 satellites a year.

Schaeffler AG joins forces with Spire to build sovereign European satellites

Spire Global revealed another element of its campaign to rapidly scale satellite production in German: strategic cooperation with Schaeffer AG, a major German manufacturer of automotive systems and other motion technologies.

Kongsberg NanoAvionics sets sights on building and supporting sovereign constellations

SpaceNews caught up with Atle Wøllo, Kongsberg NanoAvionics CEO and Kongsberg Space senior vice president, to find out how the small satellite manufacturer positioned itself for large orders and to discuss the impact of its NanoAvionics acquisition.

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