Kommentar: Deutschland ist der heimliche Star auf Macrons Weltraum-Show
Beim Weltraumgipfel in Paris wurde viel über Europas Aufbruch ins All gesprochen. Ambitionen sind gut. Entscheidend ist aber, dass wirklich etwas vorangeht.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "heuristic star" status shone brightly at President Emmanuel Macron's space summit in Paris, just eight months before his term ended. Held at the Grand Palais, a building originally constructed for future technologies at the 1900 World Exhibition, the venue was awash with symbolism. Even a model of the nine-meter high European Heavy-lift Rocket Ariane 6, displayed under the 45-meter high dome, appeared minuscule.
Hopes were high for the summit, jointly organized by Macron and Germany, which brought together 2000 representatives from politics, military, business, and research sectors. Numerous new agreements in the space sector were announced, but delivery fell short of expectations. The list of state and government officials present dwindled, as the summit coincided with the budget week, forcing Co-host Friedrich Merz to withdraw.
To avoid overshadowing France, Germany sent Defense Minister Boris Pistorius alongside Research Minister Dorothee Bär. While the grand building hosted a significant number of visitors, it felt surprisingly empty at times. Some participants began questioning the purpose of the event, as many decisions were already known. Intentions were still clear, with promises of more investments, funds, and European independence in transporting their own astronauts into space.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
