Virtual Event Recap: Rocky Mountain Gateway for French Space Companies in the U.S.
- 21 hours ago
- 6 min read
The French American Chamber of Commerce Rocky Mountain Chapter hosted a compelling virtual event exploring how the Rocky Mountain region is emerging as a premier U.S. entry point for French space innovation. Bringing together industry leaders from Business France, the Colorado Office of Economic Development, and a French aerospace company actively building its U.S. presence, the 45-minute webinar painted a clear picture of a transatlantic space relationship that is growing stronger by the year.
Meet the Speakers
Sacha François — Host & Welcome Remarks, French-American Chamber of Commerce - Rocky Mountain Chapter
Charlie Crouse — Moderator, Director of Business Development & Sales, Advanced Space
Julien Tacco-Narquin — Speaker, Director of Aerospace North America, Business France
Elise Hamann — Speaker, Global Business Development Team, Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT)
Tiphaine Louradour — Speaker, CEO, Sodern America (subsidiary of ArianeGroup)
France & the U.S.: A Space Partnership 60+ Years in the Making
Julien Tacco-Narquin of Business France opened with a powerful reminder of just how deep the roots of Franco-American space cooperation run. France's space agency, CNES, has been collaborating with NASA since 1961 — a relationship that has only deepened across civil, commercial, and defense applications ever since.
The French space sector today is a formidable force:
1,700+ companies active in the sector
250 major players driving the industry
€1.5 billion invested through the France 2030 program, with a strong focus on deep tech, AI-enabled space applications, launching technology, and cybersecurity
50+ French companies represented at this year's Space Symposium in Colorado Springs
Business France operates across nine North American offices and runs a Young Professional Program that allows French companies to place talent in the U.S. to build operations and expand market reach. Julien also noted that despite shifting global politics, French companies' U.S. expansion plans have remained remarkably stable — none of the companies that planned a stateside presence reversed course.
"The French space story is a very important role in the French economy. We have more than 1,700 companies involved in the sector — and Colorado is always in the radar." — Julien Tacco-Narquin, Director of Aerospace North America, Business France
Why the Rocky Mountain Region Is a Top-Tier Launch Pad
Elise Hamann from OEDIT made a compelling case for Colorado as a world-class aerospace destination. The numbers speak for themselves:
400+ aerospace companies operating in Colorado
#1 in per capita aerospace employment in the United States
34 federally funded research labs and top universities competing with international space programs
80%+ of aerospace firms are startups with 10 employees or fewer — a sign of a deeply entrepreneurial ecosystem
Six of the largest aerospace prime contractors in the U.S. have a presence in the state
Colorado is also home to accelerator programs specifically designed to help international companies take their first steps in the U.S. market, including Catalyst Campus, the SDA TAP Lab and Innovus.
State Incentives Worth Knowing
Advanced Industries Accelerator Grant — Companies investing in Colorado's advanced industry clusters, including aerospace and defense, can receive up to $250,000 in non-dilutive capital from the state.
Opportunity Now Investment Tax Credit — Companies purchasing equipment to train their employees can receive up to 50% of the cost of that qualified training asset as a refundable tax credit.
Elise also previewed the second annual "Road to Space Symposium" — a day-long pre-symposium event welcoming 70 international companies to tour Colorado universities, incubators, and prime contractors, and hear directly from international companies like Sodern that have already made the leap to Colorado.
How Sodern America Chose Colorado and What Came Next
The most concrete success story of the webinar came from Tiphaine Louradour, CEO of Sodern America, who walked through her company's journey as a French aerospace manufacturer newly established in Colorado.
Founded in 1962 and a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, Sodern is the world leader in star trackers — the precision navigation equipment that spacecraft rely on to orient themselves in orbit. The company already derives roughly 30% of its revenue from U.S. customers, making a stateside presence a natural next step.
Sodern evaluated multiple states before choosing Colorado. The deciding factors were both strategic and human:
Central location with easy access to both U.S. coasts and other major space hubs
Time zone alignment — Mountain Time allows meaningful daily overlap with headquarters in France
Proximity to customers — several of Sodern's long-standing U.S. clients are already based in Colorado
Talent access — a deep bench of highly skilled aerospace professionals
Quality of life — the outdoors, housing, and lifestyle as a genuine competitive hiring advantage
Sodern America is currently under construction. Offices are set to open later in 2025, followed by a production facility, including a clean room, targeting Q3/Q4 2025. The facility will produce star trackers 100% dedicated to U.S. customers, using the same equipment, sub-components, processes, and AS9100 certifications as the parent company in France. New hires will travel to France for training and French team members will come to Colorado to train the local workforce.
Tiphaine credited a wide network of Colorado partners as essential to Sodern's smooth entry into the state, including OEDIT, Denver South Economic Development, Douglas County, commercial broker JLL, and the French American Chamber of Commerce - Rocky Mountain Chapter.
"Colorado is recognized as one of the most dynamic space hubs in the country. Proximity to customers is one of our core values — and we believe it is a strong factor in driving business success." — Tiphaine Louradour, CEO, Sodern America
Q&A Highlights
The audience submitted a wide range of questions covering the real challenges French companies face when entering the U.S. market. Here are the key themes that came up:
On geopolitics: Despite shifting global dynamics, French companies' U.S. expansion strategies have held steady. The French delegation at the Space Symposium continues to grow year over year, reflecting sustained confidence in the transatlantic space relationship.
On export control (ITAR/EAR): Navigating U.S. export regulations — including ITAR, EAR, Technology Assistance Agreements (TAAs), and certifications like AS9100 — was flagged as one of the most significant operational challenges. Panelists advised companies to engage experienced legal and compliance advisors early. Tiphaine Louradour also highlighted the World Trade Center's free trade compliance resources as an underutilized support tool.
On the time zone advantage: Julien pointed out that Mountain Time is uniquely valuable for European companies — it is the last viable U.S. time zone that still allows meaningful overlap with business hours in France and Europe. French founders consistently cite this as a key factor when choosing a U.S. headquarters city.
On collaboration between startups and primes: Tiffane's advice was direct — start by making connections. Join the relevant organizations, contribute something meaningful, and show up consistently. The most critical relationships — including CPAs, legal advisors, and compliance consultants — tend to emerge organically from these networks.
Key Ecosystem Resources
Organizations actively building the Rocky Mountain aerospace ecosystem:
AerospaceColorado.org — Colorado's new aerospace industry hub
SpaceRising.org — Arizona's space community organization
47G.org — Utah's aerospace industry organization
Business France — businessfrance.fr — French trade agency supporting U.S. expansion
Colorado OEDIT — choosecolorado.com — State-level investment support and incentives
Also on the horizon: Inovus, a 200,000 square-foot, ICD-705 / SCIF-compliant campus near Buckley Air Force Space Base combining advanced security infrastructure with modern collaborative workspace.
Key Takeaways
The France–U.S. space relationship spans more than 60 years and is growing — not stalling — despite geopolitical headwinds.
Colorado ranks #1 in per capita aerospace employment in the U.S., with 400+ companies and 34 federally funded research labs.
France's 2030 program is investing €1.5 billion in space, fueling a new wave of startups and SMEs ready for U.S. expansion.
Sodern America's Colorado story is a real-world blueprint: evaluate customers, talent, time zones, and quality of life — not just incentives.
State programs like the Advanced Industries Accelerator Grant (up to $250K non-dilutive) and the Opportunity Now Tax Credit make establishing a U.S. presence more financially accessible.
Mountain Time is Europe's strategic advantage — it is the last U.S. time zone with meaningful daily overlap with France.
Getting connected early — through FACC Rocky Mountain, OEDIT, Business France, and local industry organizations — is the most consistent success factor cited by French companies that have made the move.
Watch the Replay
Missed the live event? The full webinar recording is available here:
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