European satellite operator Eutelsat says demand from U.S. customers - including commercial firms and the Pentagon - continues to be strong even as SpaceX has urged U.S. regulators to consider curbing access for certain foreign rivals.
In a letter dated April 16 to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, SpaceX requested limits on market access for foreign satellite operators whose governments block or disadvantage U.S. firms. The filing singled out Luxembourg-based SES as an example of a European operator that has benefited from access to U.S. markets, while not naming other European companies such as Eutelsat.
SpaceX's submission also urged the FCC to take reciprocal action in response to measures such as the EU Space Act and the proposed Digital Networks Act - steps SpaceX described as potential barriers to U.S. businesses operating in Europe.
Responding to those developments, Eutelsat's chief executive, Jean-Francois Fallacher, said in an interview that the company is mindful of a shifting geopolitical environment and of U.S. firms' efforts to seek reduced regulation. He added that European space law is moving in a constructive direction and stressed the need to safeguard space and coordinate activity there. "European space law is going in the right direction. We want to protect space, we want to actually look carefully at the way space is safe. We all know that there will be the need for more coordination in space," he said.
Eutelsat, which counts support from the French and British governments, is positioned as the principal European rival to Elon Musk's Starlink. The company noted a slowdown in some Pentagon contract renewals in the prior year, attributing that trend to wider government spending reductions under the administration of President Donald Trump. Nevertheless, Fallacher said U.S. demand has not declined.
"We have appetite in the U.S," he said. "Both businesses and the Department of Defense have appetite for alternative solutions - for reliability and redundancy purposes." He further noted that Eutelsat serves commercial, government and military clients and provides satellite services to the U.S. Department of Defense through a proxy company.
Beyond current services, Eutelsat is pursuing discussions with governments and other customers, including in the United States, about hosting Earth observation and communications payloads on its satellites. Those talks form part of the company’s broader effort to offer alternative and complementary capabilities for customers seeking redundancy and resiliency in space-based services.
Contextual note - The regulatory push by SpaceX seeks to limit market entry for foreign satellite operators where their home governments impose restrictions on U.S. firms, and to prompt reciprocal measures in response to European regulatory proposals. Eutelsat's leadership acknowledges the new geopolitical dynamics while underlining persistent demand in U.S. markets.