(From L) France's junior Minister in charge of Europe Benjamin Haddad, German Minister for Research, Technology and Aerospace Dorothee Baer, France's Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin, Germanan President's wife Elke Budenbender, Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Exploration Company (TEC) co-founder Helene Huby and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius react during a visit of the European reusable spacecraft maker The Exploration Company (TEC) site in Merignac, near Bordeaux, southwestern France, as part of Steinmeier's state visit to France on October 9, 2026. (Photo by Philippe Lopez / AFP via Getty Images)