Space Firms Join Forces On Project Bromo To Challenge Musk's Starlink

European space companies Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo have joined forces to take on Elon Musk’s Starlink in the growing space-based internet race. Until the recent announcement of the joint venture, named Project Bromo, the satellite makers had only hinted that they were looking at working with one another.

According to reports, the project has garnered enough traction to earn the nifty codename, fashioned after Indonesian volcano Mount Bromo, within Airbus. It has also moved along far enough to earn a preferred structure with a new company combining satellite assets among the three companies.

In an interview, Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani confirmed the structure would be based on the MBDA model. MBDA is a European arms producer that has a unique model for industrial integration, and cross-border specialization. The model is based on French-British centers of competence. MBDA, jointly owned by Airbus, Leonardo, and BAE Systems, is known for having decades of experience in missile and weapon system development.


“That’s the one, it is hard that it can be anything else,” remarked Cingolani in an interview with Reuters. Airbus and Thales have yet to confirm or deny.

The new alliance comes at a time when Europe’s satellite industry has struggled to compete with Musk’s rapidly growing Starlink service. The merger proposals are said to be separate from job cuts, which are supposed to be unveiled this week by Airbus. Thousands of Airbus workers are currently waiting to find out details of space and defense job cuts to be presented to unions on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

It also comes at a time where some in America are expressing concern about Musk’s potential conflict of interest in owning Starlink, and his upcoming position within government, heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) program.

“We have never had a situation where the leading shareholder of a communications company has both a position - both in terms of influencing the president, but also having an assignment to drive efficiency in government - with so many government contracts,” remarked former Federal Communications Commission Director, Blair Levin.

It will take some time before finding out if the new European merger can actually compete with Starlink in the long run.