By Nicholas Hirst and Jean Comte ( October 23, 2026, 13:16 GMT | Comment) -- The "Project Bromo" space-exploration joint venture by Airbus, Thales and Leonardo, intended to rival SpaceX, has the political winds behind it and can hope for approval after a phase I review, subject to a major remedy package. Critics want both asset sales and behavioral promises. Whether the companies are willing to make the type of concessions that EU investigators could wave through, though, is a different question altogether.Could the joining of Airbus, Thales and Leonardo in a space exploration venture avoid an in-depth EU merger investigation? The surprising answer is yes, it could....
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