OHB, which in the grand duchy owns Luxspace, said it suspected that Airbus obtained sensitive information from a former employee that aided its bid for the contract, which is part of the Galileo satellite navigation initiative. OHB did not prove this allegation as part of the procedure.

In its ruling, issued on 26 May, the EU’s second highest court said blocking the contract “would have major technical and financial consequences for the space programme of the European Union. The rapid conclusion of that contract is therefore an important public interest.”

The ruling also pointed out that the loss from the disputed contract represented €30m, compared to the project’s total €1.47bn budget and overall EU spending on satellite navigation programmes of more than €7bn.

The company has two months to file an appeal to the European Court of Justice, the EU’s top court.

The case was T-54/21R OHB v Commission.