The European Space Agency (ESA) said on Thursday it would study a newly announced satellite combination between three aerospace groups to ensure it preserves a competitive landscape.

Director General Josef Aschbacher told a news conference that the ESA supported a strong industry and that "mergers happen," but added that the agency would take into account the impact of the deal when deciding future procurements.

"This is good because it may make industry stronger and therefore more competitive on the world market," he said when asked about the preliminary deal announced on Thursday.

"It will change the landscape in terms of competition and we will take this into account in our industrial policy and the procurements we make," he added.

Airbus and a pair of ventures owned by Thales and Leonardo currently compete with Germany's OHB, Spain's Indra and startups like Finland's ICEYE, but would control the lion's share of the European satellite market if combined.

Airbus, Thales and Leonardo announced the plan on Thursday, stating that the merger would help "strengthen Europe's strategic autonomy in space, a major sector that underpins critical infrastructure and services related to telecommunications, global navigation, earth observation, science, exploration and national security."

While the European Commission will review the deal on antitrust grounds, the ESA's role is to balance the strength of the industry with the interests of taxpayers through competitions.

Aschbacher said the ESA would work to ensure Europe continues to have a "very competitive industry... (and) that the European space sector is strengthened through this move."

(With input from Reuters)