PARIS — Four U.S. space companies have decided not to participate in next week’s international space summit in Paris after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration pressured firms to ditch the event.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, rocket maker Stoke Space and Starcloud, a startup that is trying to launch data centers in space, notified French authorities on Thursday that they were “canceling their participation” in the event, according to an official from the French ministry of higher education, research and space.
“It is hard not to draw a connection to the rumors of pressure that have been circulating in the press,” said the official, who was granted anonymity to share sensitive details about the summit.