PARIS (Realist English). Airbus, Europe’s largest aerospace company, is considering the sale of its American space division, Airbus US Space Systems.
According to the Financial Times, the group is assessing potential buyers’ interest in assets that include a Florida factory and the Arrow line of small satellites.
The decision to sell the US business is part of a broader Airbus strategy to consolidate efforts in creating a pan‑European conglomerate in the satellite communications sector.
Earlier, Airbus reached an agreement with Italy’s Leonardo and France’s Thales to merge their satellite and space divisions.
US Assets: What Is Being Sold
Airbus’s US space division includes:
| Asset | Description |
| Manufacturing plant | Located in Merritt Island, Florida, near the Kennedy Space Center and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin base |
| Arrow satellites | A line of small satellites for commercial and government communications, Earth observation, and national security |
| Workforce | More than 200 employees |
| Annual revenue | Estimated by sources at several hundred million dollars |
In 2024, Airbus became the sole owner of Airbus OneWeb Satellites (AOS), buying out the 50% stake from the joint venture. AOS built more than 600 satellites for the first generation of the OneWeb low‑Earth‑orbit internet system.
The “Bromo” Plan: Birth of a European Satellite Giant
The sale of the US business is directly linked to the ambitious project by three European companies — Airbus, Leonardo and Thales — to create a joint satellite enterprise. The plan has been given the codename “Bromo.”
| Parameter | Details |
| Participants | Airbus (France/Germany), Leonardo (Italy), Thales (France) |
| Goal | Creating a pan‑European leader in satellite technologies |
| Objectives | Competing with SpaceX and Chinese manufacturers |
| Status | Submission to EU antitrust authorities — second half of 2026 |
| Launch | Start of operations — 2027 |
Financial Background: Losses and Recovery
The sale of US assets is the latest attempt by Airbus to revive its space business, which incurred losses of €989 million in 2024. In 2025, the company wrote off an additional €300 million, bringing total space‑related losses for 2024 to €1.3 billion.
The group has already begun moving satellite production back from the US to Europe. At Airbus’s Toulouse plant, 440 satellites are being built for low Earth orbit under contract from French company Eutelsat — a move the company describes as “yet another step towards strengthening European sovereignty.”
Strategic Subtext: European Sovereignty Against SpaceX and China
Behind the sale of the US business and the creation of “Bromo” lie at least three strategic motives:
1. Competition with SpaceX. Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation dominates the low‑orbit internet market. The European consortium is meant to create a player of comparable scale.
2. Countering Chinese expansion. Chinese satellite manufacturers are increasing their global market presence, and “Bromo” is intended as Europe’s answer to that challenge.
3. Technological sovereignty. Airbus is steadily reducing its dependence on the US in the strategically vital space sector, moving production to Europe and consolidating European capabilities.
Betting on Europe or Fleeing the US?
Airbus’s decision to sell its US space division and consolidate European assets is a bet on long‑term competitiveness at a time when the space industry is becoming a battleground of geopolitical confrontation.
Yet open questions remain. Can the combined European conglomerate catch up with SpaceX, which has a decade of experience and a technological edge? Will the merger of three major players lead to bureaucratic complexities and loss of flexibility rather than synergy? And most importantly — could the sale of a US business generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue prove a premature step that weakens Airbus’s position in one of the world’s key markets?
For now, the group is betting on “European sovereignty” and consolidation. The answers to these questions will emerge in 2027 — when “Bromo” is due to begin operations, and the European satellite giant is set to enter direct competition with the American leader.
