the prevailing antitrust laws, he said. Because of the SpaceX reusable Falcon 9 rocket, launch costs had been slashed. As a result, a soaring commercial industry has so far been able to put almost 7,000 satellites into orbit whereas, despite plans for up to ten flights a year, Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher, which is partly built by Airbus, has yet to make its first commercial flight. Airbus and other manufacturers have long complained that Europe’s space industry is held back by rules that require the work to be shared between countries like France involved in funding Ariane. Faury observed that SpaceX is free to choose where to invest and manufactures 80% of what it needs, while the opposite applies in Europe, which must find a way to adapt. “We make 20%, we buy 80%. And by buying 80%, you have a large supply base, which is pleasing everybody. Well, Elon Musk’s space is not pleasing anybody except Elon Musk.” Airbus is currently cutting 2,500 jobs in loss-making satellite projects. Its defence and technology rival, Thales, is in a similar position, cutting 1,300 jobs. According to Faury, SpaceX is a super-competitive model. “If we don’t move in launchers and satellites, if we just stay with where we are, we’re going to be obsolete.” With its rapid development and deployment, Starlink has disrupted the satellite communications industry and significantly influenced contemporary military strategies. NASA looks to deploy SpaceX to land humans on the moon this decade. This is a relationship that could blossom under President-elect Donald Trump