Elon Muskโs โNaziโ salute sparks fury from Europeโs left wing
Lawmakers and media pour scorn on the key adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump.
SpaceX
Musk, a pro-populist thorn in the EU’s side: Concerns grow over ‘foreign interference’
He has called the German chancellor an “incompetent idiot” and the countryโs president an “anti-democratic tyrant”.ย Perhaps such invective would not matter if Elon Musk did not have the influence that he does. But Europe is a key market for the tech b…
Elon Muskโs attempts to sway German and UK politics thought โunacceptableโ โ poll
Exclusive: Majority polled by YouGov viewed billionaire negatively โ except among Reform UK and AfD votersMost people in the UK and Germany consider Elon Muskโs efforts to influence their national politics unacceptable and believe the US tech magnate d…
Elon Musk stands to get even richer off this UK government plan
The billionaire Tesla owner might be feuding with Keir Starmerโs government, but he can expect a big payday thanks to one of Labourโs key schemes.
As Macron courts Musk, Paris quits X
The city of Paris said the lack of moderation has made using the platform “impossible.”
Big tech is picking apart European democracy, but there is a solution: switch off its algorithms | Johnny Ryan
The latest actions of Musk and Zuckerberg are a sign of things to come, but the EU already has the power to give people back controlElon Muskโs latest attempts at direct political interference illustrate the grave danger that Europe is facing. He has s…
Europe space chief says cooperation intact despite Italy moves
Italy’s Avio is due to take over operations of the Vega C rocket on behalf of ESA, pulling the Italian-built rocket away from Europe’s main launch operator, Arianespace.
The post Europe space chief says cooperation intact despite Italy moves appeared f…
Elon Muskโs man in the European Parliament
Independent MEP Fidias Panayiotou met the billionaire in 2023 and has taken his line on some big political issues, from Ukraine to digital rules.
When Elon met Alice: 9 weird moments from Muskโs German far-right chuckle-fest
God! Martians! A “communist” Hitler! It was heavy on oddness and light on policy as the X owner and the AfD co-leader hit it off.
Meloni says Italyโs military has โno public alternativeโ to Muskโs Starlink
Italian premier defends talks with billionaireโs SpaceX company and rejects accusations he poses โa danger to democracyโ
Blinken: Greenland invasion is โnot going to happenโ
France warned Wednesday that Europeans would not let the U.S. invade Greenland.
La pression monte sur lโUE pour quโelle utilise des armes juridiques contre lโingรฉrence de Musk
La Commission europรฉenne indique quโelle va รฉtudier si X a donnรฉ un avantage injuste ร lโextrรชme droite pour les รฉlections allemandes.
French far rightโs Zemmour to attend Trump inauguration, leaving Le Pen scrambling for a way
The pundit-turned-politician could be a potential ally for the president-elect and Elon Musk as the tech billionaire wades deeper into European politics.
Meloni in hot water over government talks with Muskโs SpaceX
Italian premier accused of currying favour with worldโs richest man at expense of European satellite initiative
Pressure mounts on EU to use legal weapons against Muskโs interference
European Commission says it will study whether X gives unfair boost to far right in German election.
Comment rรฉsoudre le problรจme Musk ?
Le magnat de la tech est en relation avec de nombreux responsables politiques dans le monde. Les gouvernements europรฉens nโont pas encore trouvรฉ comment gรฉrer le fait dโรชtre dans son collimateur.
Opposition press Meloni over Muskโs alleged SpaceX deal
The Italian prime minister’s office dismissed claims that she discussed SpaceX with Donald Trump on Sunday as “simply ridiculous”.
The post Opposition press Meloni over Musk’s alleged SpaceX deal appeared first on Euractiv.
Musk โreadyโ to provide Meloni with Starlink secure comms
News of the talks comes shortly after the Italian PM visited President-elect Donald Trump in Florida.
Macron says Musk is backing a โnew international reactionary movementโ
The French president also said his country would remain a strong U.S. ally.
Musk projects his hard-right influence in Europe
The ever-more powerful Tesla and SpaceX chief is turning his gaze on Europe, where many governments are already grappling with the rise of populism and the far-right.
The post Musk projects his hard-right influence in Europe appeared first on Euractiv.
How do you solve a problem like Elon Musk?
The “chameleon” tech billionaire is one of the most powerful politically connected people in the world. Europe’s governments are still working out how to deal with being on his bad side.
Relax Elon โ the EU isnโt an immediate threat to Starlink
The IRISยฒ system will beam encrypted high-speed broadband internet back to governments, spies, militaries and remote regions.
Tech billionaires prepare to invade the Pentagon
A handful of Silicon Valley executives could help transform the countryโs largest bureaucracy โ and benefit themselves while trying.
Europeโs Maiaspace steps up effort to counter SpaceX with reusable rocket
Maiaspace scientists face technological challenges stemming in part from Europe’s delay in fully embracing reusable technology.
The post Europe’s Maiaspace steps up effort to counter SpaceX with reusable rocket appeared first on Euractiv.
Trump names Elon Musk to role leading government efficiency drive
Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will co-lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, an entity Trump indicated will operate outside the confines of government.
Victors in the race for emerging tech will determine future
Collectively, emerging technologies are creating an unstable world, where we donโt clearly understand what national security looks like.
5 things to know about EU tech security chief Henna Virkkunenโs hearing
Elon Musk and Europe’s tech gaps show the Finnish nominee has a major task at hand.
Trump victory boosts the โcase for spaceโ in Europe, says European Space Agency chief
Europe should be in a position to compete with the U.S. in space, said Josef Aschbacher.
Elon Musk calls Germanyโs Scholz a โfoolโ
The tech billionaire, emboldened after Donald Trump’s U.S. election victory, picks a fight with Berlin’s embattled chancellor.
Brussels tech bubble braces for Trumpโs impact
“Increased competition with the US may turn out to be a good thing for Europe,” said Andreas Schwab (EPP, Germany). ย
Musk isnโt the first tycoon to flirt with a dictator. History hasnโt been kind.
Tycoons have gotten in trouble for running their own foreign policy before. History has not been kind.
Muskโs reported contacts with Putin trigger anxiety in Washington
The Democratic lawmakers join NASA chief Bill Nelson in calling for a confirmation of bombshell report revealing alleged regular contact between the mogul and Moscow.
Musk has been in secret contact with Putin since 2022, says bombshell new report
The Russian president even asked the billionaire for a Starlink favor.
Meet Elon Muskโs man in Washington
The SpaceX billionaire is forging new ties with a federal telecom official who could help funnel billions of dollars to his company if Trump is elected.
Elon Musk: Senior EU official is โthe epitome of banal, bureaucratic evilโ
Vฤra Jourovรก lands in the tech chief’s crosshairs after criticizing him for actively “helping” villains.
Elon Musk fails to get nod for EU human rights award
Far right sought to award Musk for his positions against “radical Islamism and wokism.”
Elon Muskโs politics are crashing hard into his business
Itโs now more difficult than ever to separate Elon Musk the businessman from Musk the political figure.
Elon Musk gave $75Mย to his pro-Trump super PAC
Musk launched the group over the summer.
NASA launches probe to study if life possible on icy Jupiter moon
The mission will allow the US space agency to uncover new details about Jupiter’s moon Europa, which scientists believe could hold an ocean beneath its icy surface.
We still love you Elon Musk, says UK government
Science Secretary Peter Kyle says he’s ‘absolutely ready to engage’ with the X owner despite summit snub.
Moon race, private competition in focus as space powers gather in Milan
The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) since 1950 has been a venue for the scientists, engineers, companies and political leaders of spacefaring nations to discuss cooperation. But Russia this time is not invited.
SpaceX launches 5th Starship โ with a catch
The giant Starship rocket is designed to fulfill Elon Musk’s ambition to send people to the moon and, eventually, to Mars.
Elon Musk amplifies hurricane disinformation while boosting Trump
The billionaire is using the power of his social media platform to spread falsehoods that officials say are hampering recovery efforts.
Asteroid mission aims to save humans from the fate of the dinosaurs
Europe’s Hera mission will help figure out how to deflect an asteroid before it hits Earth.
Musk the surrogate: The tech titan will hit the campaign trail for Trump
Those close to Musk say his primary focus is on Pennsylvania.
Elon Musk says he will attend Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
Trump had vowed to return to the area where he was shot in a failed assassination attempt this summer.
Mystery creator of Bitcoin identified, new HBO documentary claims
The revelation could send shockwaves through cryptocurrency markets and beyond.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket grounded after launching spacecraft on rescue mission to ISS
The Falcon 9 is temporarily grounded after an anomaly was detected following the launch of a Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.
The new Commissionโs tech agenda, inside the Council telecoms negotiations
The new tech Commissionโs has a long to-do list and some shifts in focus, an insider look at Council negotiations on telecoms shows member states are likely to strongly resist deregulation.
Billionaire spacewalker returns to Earth in SpaceX capsule
Jared Isaacman returned to Earth with his crew on Sunday, ending a five-day trip that lifted them higher than anyone else since NASAโs moonwalkers.
Trump ally Elon Musk slams Harris: โWe will never reach Mars if Kamala winsโ
The billionaire entrepreneur is firmly in the Republican camp for 2024.
Trump could turn Elon Musk into an American oligarch
Muskโs potential foray into government would represent a striking development for the billionaire.
Donโt go head-to-head with Musk on space internet, satellite CEO tells Europe
Europe should look beyond space internet and start planning for a military-grade surveillance system instead.
Musk might be the only person Trump listens to on climate
The billionaire Tesla CEO has Trumpโs ear. Hereโs what he might tell the former president about rising temperatures, clean energy and making money.
After a whirlwind 5 years, Bretonโs back for more
POLITICO looks back on the French commissioner’s first stint at the Berlaymont.
EUโs IRISยฒ satellite plan runs into mega complications against SpaceXโs Starlink
Elon Musk’s Starlink is stealing a march on the EU’s fledgling alternative.
Farnborough Airshow kicks off; Joe Biden drops out
SNEAK PEEK โ The Farnborough International Airshow starts today in the U.K. as the EUโs space program stutters. โ Tensions between Rome and outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg escalated over the weekend โ Plot twist in the French defense committee: Jean-Michel Jacques is the new president. Good morning, and welcome to Morning Defense. In case [โฆ]
Elon Musk vows to move X, SpaceX headquarters out of California, citing trans privacy law
The tech billionaire has made similar threats over political differences in the past.
How Europe screwed up its rocket program
One successful test launch doesn’t mean that Europe’s struggles in the space race are over.
Ariane 6 rocket successfully launches, flight in progress
The launch marks a big success for Europeโs space program.
EU weather satellite agencyโs SpaceX launch decision needs urgent review, lead space MEP says
The European Unionโs weather satellite agency should review its decision to use US launchers over the European option Ariane-6, MEP Christophe Grudler wrote in a letter sent to the organisationโs board on Thursday (4 July), seen by Euractiv.
Europeโs Ariane 6 rocket finally ready for liftoff
Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket is set for its first-ever launch next week, carrying with it the continent’s hopes of regaining independent access to space and fending off soaring competition from Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Europe smarts as SpaceX bags key satellite launch contract
Launching a weather satellite with SpaceX and not Ariane 6 is a “surprising” decision, said Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency.
Worldโs first wooden satellite built by Japan researchers
The world’s first wooden satellite has been built by Japanese researchers who said their tiny cuboid craft will be blasted off on a SpaceX rocket in September.
European Space Agency aims for own version of SpaceX
Body awards contracts to 2 companies to develop cargo services to International Space Station
โCrystal clearโ that Europe needs a Starlink-like secure satellite program, says space boss
“We have to have a secure connectivity program,” said the European Space Agency’s director general.
Ukraine war briefing: US and most EU countries to boycott Putin swearing-in ceremony
US spokesperson says no envoy will attend because Russian presidentโs election was not โfree and fairโ. What we know on day 804The US and most EU nations will boycott a Kremlin ceremony to swear in Vladimir Putin for a new six-year term as president on…
Brussels slams Berlinโs โill-foundedโ effort to delay EU satellite project
Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck wants to suspend the IRIS2 satellite project; the EU isn’t giving way.
Musk is building spy satellite network for US intelligence agency: sources
SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a US intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said.
A new era of space flight: ESA’s partnership with private companies takes off
SpaceX launched Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket, for the third time on Thursday. The spacecraft is an essential part of NASA’s Artemis programme, a partnership that embodies a concept known as “new space” or privatised space flight. The…
Politicians must not ignore security threats in space
Increased military reliance on space brings new threats and challenges along with it, and Western policymakers need to urgently adapt.
Russia-Ukraine war live: Ukrainian air defence systems destroy Russian drones and cruise missile โ as it happened
Ukrainian air force says 14 out of 17 drones and one Kh-59 cruise missile destroyed after Russia launched themGerman chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday said defence companies could count on his government ramping up military spending and that it would me…
Ukraine claims Russian forces using Muskโs Starlink in occupied areas
Starlink says it does not do business of any kind with Russiaโs government or militarySee all our Ukraine war coverageRussian forces in occupied Ukraine are using Starlink terminals produced by Elon Muskโs SpaceX for satellite internet in what is begin…
Space wars: Europeโs master plan to counter Elon Muskโs Starlink
The Starlink satellite system is crucial for the Ukrainian military, but there are problems.
First all-European commercial astronaut mission launched on flight to space station
Turkey’s first astronaut and three other crew members representing Europe were launched from Florida on Thursday (18 January) on a voyage to the International Space Station in the latest commercially arranged mission from Texas startup Axiom Space.
2023: In pictures
POLITICO looks back on the images that defined the year 2023.
Meloniโs star Christmas guests: Rishi Sunak and (maybe) Elon Musk
British prime minister cozies up to Italian leader.
โGo fuck yourself!โ Elon Musk tells fleeing advertisers
‘Is that clear? I hope it is,’ says X owner as companies pull ads from his platform.
Musk sues Media Matters as advertising exodus continues
Lawyers for X accused left-leaning watchdog group of doctoring images of ads for major corporations next to neo-Nazi tweets.
SpaceX launches its giant new rocket but a pair of explosions ends the second test flight
The first test flight of the Starship craft in April ended in an explosion soon after liftoff.
White House slams Elon Musk for supporting antisemitic post
The White House said it was โunacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of Antisemitism in American history at any time.โ
Russia withdraws from CFE, NATO countries suspend adherence
SNEAK PEEK โ Russia withdrew from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe: NATO announced the suspension of the agreement in response. โ Britain and Canada push back against a bill to fund the U.S. government next year, saying it would seriously harm maritime defense cooperation between the three allies. โ Europe undermined hopes [โฆ]
So much for strategic autonomy: EU pays Elon Musk โฌ180M to launch its satellites
Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher is very delayed.
ESA agrees on space cargo mission
SNEAK PEEK โ After the European Space Agency agreed on a plan to launch a cargo spaceflight mission by 2028, thereโs a space-focused Competitiveness Council today. โ Russia reported damage to a telecommunications cable connecting St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, and the Finnish Coast Guard suspects it could be linked to damage sustained by other Baltic [โฆ]
Europe takes one small step toward astronaut spaceflight
European Space Agency member countries balked at a manned space program, instead opting for a lower cost cargo mission.
When Elon met Rishi: 5 things we learned from the Musk-Sunak love-inย
The tech tycoon and PM were joined by an audience that included Cabinet ministers, tech execs and the American rapper will.i.am.
Elon Musk hails Rishi Sunakโs โessentialโ decision to invite China to UK AI summit
The tech tycoon joined the British PM for a one-on-one conversation to round off the Bletchley Park summit.
We should heed Elon Muskโs concerns about AI, says Rishi Sunak
“He’s someone who for a long time has been talking about the potential risk of AI and its existential risks,” the British Prime Minister tells POLITICO.
Musk says Starlink will support connectivity to aid organizations in Gaza
Pledge comes as region is under a total internet blackout imposed by the Israeli military.
Ukraineโs recipe for resilient telecom infrastructure
Making Ukraine’s telecommunications infrastructure resilient is key to both the fight against Russian aggression and the country’s future EU integration, a Ukrainian minister told Euractiv in an interview.
European Space Agency mulls extra Ariane 6 cash
SNEAK PEEK โ The European Space Agency is assessing the spiralling costs of the long-delayed Ariane 6 rocket program. โ The German parliamentโs budgetary committee approved โฌ4.4 billion for air defenses and weapons to Ukraine. โ U.S. arms makers are very worried about a possible supply squeeze thanks to wars happening in both Israel and [โฆ]
Elon Musk mocks Zelenskyy over calls for aid
Ukrainians hit back at SpaceX chief over ‘Vein Popping Guy’ meme.
Elon Musk: Twitter (sorry, X) could go behind a paywall
Billionaire owner says his plan is the ‘only defense’ against bots.
Erdoฤan asks Elon Musk to build Tesla factory in Turkey
Turkish president also touts future cooperation on AI and space programs.
Elon Musk is a lesson in the dangers of unchecked corporate leaders | Siva Vaidhyanathan
When rich people convince themselves that theyโre rich because theyโre smart โ instead of lucky and ruthless โ they misapply their talents to areas beyond their expertiseElon Musk is not the most reckless, destructive or dangerous corporate leader in w…
Elon Musk sabotaged Ukrainian attack on Russian fleet in Crimea by turning off Starlink, new book says
Top Russian official praises Muskโs move to shut down Starlink during Ukraineโs strike attempt.
US sues SpaceX over discrimination against asylum recipients, refugees
The US Justice Department sued Elon Musk-owned rocket and satellite company SpaceX on Thursday (24 August) for allegedly discriminating against asylum recipients and refugees in hiring.