Verified Loft Orbital press release, 21 January 2026
What it does not test. Does not resolve that Loft Orbital, though operating from Toulouse, is a US headquartered company with US venture investors, a tension for a programme framed as building sovereign French capability.
How this item counts. Both ways: towards autonomy on who made the parts, towards dependence on who operates. Binding 2 of 3 (agreed or funded), scale 2 of 3 (medium), Verified counts in full: weight 0 of 36 possible. EU-built payload/antenna, but US-HQ Loft Orbital as prime; 'sovereign' tag in tension. European Sovereignty Index