Syed Saif Ul Hassan 
Oct 23, 2025
A logo of Airbus is seen at the entrance of its factory in Blagnac near Toulouse, France July 2, 2020. — Reuters
The dominance of Elon Musk's satellite internet service Starlink is on the verge of falling as European aerospace giants Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo struck a preliminary deal on Thursday, merging their struggling satellite manufacturing operations.
The preliminary collaboration between the top European satellite firms aims to counter the rapid growth of competitors like Musk's Starlink and others.
While the name of the emerging Starlink challenger has not been announced, Reuters reported that the new venture is set to launch in 2027, pending approval from European regulators.
It will employ 25,000 people from all over Europe and generate annual revenues of €6.5 billion (about $7.58 billion) based on 2024 projections.
The biggest shareholder of the upcoming European joint satellite firm will be Airbus, holding 35% of the new entity, while Thales and Leonardo will each own 32.5%, ensuring shared control with a balanced governance structure.
The merger, dubbed "Project Bromo," is expected to create significant synergies, boosting operating income by hundreds of millions of euros annually after five years.
The collaboration will integrate the manufacturing and services of Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, alongside various Airbus space and digital businesses.
The CEOs of the three companies stated that this alliance will enhance Europe’s autonomy in the space sector. Despite previous tensions among the partners, a common ground seems to have been found to strengthen their position against the influx of low-cost satellites in low Earth orbit.
