MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif — The 22-nation European Space Agency (ESA) will not weigh in on any merger discussions between Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space but is taking steps to address the crisis in Europe’s commercial satellite manufacturing sector by raising its contract-downpayment ceiling, ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher said.
In an Oct. 24 briefing following a meeting of ESA’s ruling council, Aschbacher acknowledged that ESA is the biggest customer for Europe’s satellite industry — whether directly for ESA programs or as . . .
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