SAN FRANCISCO — A delegation from the French Space Agency CNES visited Colorado and Texas last week to expand ties between French and American aerospace firms.
The officials, who jokingly seek advice from themselves as France’s NewSpace Musketeers, plan to ascertain virtual hubs in Denver and Houston for Connect by CNES, a government initiative to spur space-related innovation.
“We would like to create jobs within the U.S. and jobs in France,” Francois Alter, CNES deputy chief strategy officer, told . “We would like to be the marriage planner to support this growing ecosystem with strong partnerships between U.S. and French firms.”
France and the US have longstanding civil and military space ties, which have deepened in recent times. As well as, France’s vibrant NewSpace sector is growing with a median of 1 startup established per week.
Government support for the NewSpace ecosystem is powerful. The national investment plan France 2030 directs 1.5 billion euros ($1.64 billion) towards investment in space technologies over five years.
“We’ve ammunition to make this ecosystem go,” said Emmanuel de Lipkowski, CNES senior advisor and a French Space Command Reserve officer.
![](https://i0.wp.com/spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/rsz_french_ns_musk_with_flag.jpg?resize=780%2C411&ssl=1)
Space Symposium France Booth
Connect by CNES was established in 2018 to supply startups with technical expertise, funding, software, incubators, accelerators and introductions to prime contractors and government space agencies. With many French startups maturing, Connect by CNES is searching for international partners, starting in the US.
To assist French startups establish ties within the U.S., a French delegation met in Denver Dec. 11 and 12 with representatives of Colorado firms, government agencies and academic institutions. The visit paves the way in which for some 30 to 40 French entrepreneurs to satisfy with potential partners in April throughout the National Space Foundation’s 39th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.
“There’s already quite a lot of collaboration between French and U.S. firms,” Alter said. “We met firms that have already got French suppliers, French partners or French customers. A few of them have the desire to make more business in Europe.”
Connect by CNES can assist U.S. firms by serving because the “point of entrance to the European ecosystem,” Alter said.
Business France, which has seven offices in the US, also helps U.S. firms “understand the French market and discover French and European market incentives,” said Nicolas Maubert, CNES representative and space attaché for the French Embassy in Washington.
![](https://i0.wp.com/spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/rsz_1702510181807-3.jpg?resize=780%2C493&ssl=1)
Speed and Resiliency
Through international partnerships, CNES seeks to enhance the resiliency of its space sector.
“We’ve to make our supply chain way more resilient,” Lipkowski said, citing geopolitical tensions.
The French Air and Space Force and French Space Command “have excellent collaboration with the U.S. military,” Lipowski said. “The collaboration is growing. We’re here to make it higher and to search out higher opportunities.”
Partnerships also help space firms sustain with the rapid pace of innovation, Alter said. “On this NewSpace era, it’s essential move fast. That signifies that it’s essential to find the very best suppliers, the very best off-the-shelf components and the very best equipment.”
Connect by CNES’ Houston hub might be oriented toward human spaceflight and moon programs including Artemis. The Denver hub will give attention to military space, cybersecurity, space medicine and academic exchanges.