The US will streamline commercial space permits for US-based operations with the aim of “substantially increasing commercial space launch cadence and novel space activities by 2030” according to an Executive Order signed by President Donald Trump on 13 August 2025.
According to the Executive Order, titled Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry, the government will reform regulatory barriers to commerical launch and re-entry by slashing existing environmental review and other obstacles to the granting of licences.
President Trump also orders a full review, withing 180 days, of the impact of the Coastal Zone Management Act on the development of spaceport infrastructure, to determine if approvals under that act should be revoked.
The government will align review processes for spaceport development across agencies, “eliminate those that are duplicative” and preserve mandated launch capacities, according to the Order.
To allow for space missions not covered by existing regulatory frameworks, Trump’s order requires a new framework for “individualized mission authorizations […] with the goal of expediting and streamlining authorizations to enable American space competitiveness and superiority”.
The Office of Space Commerce will also be promoted to within the Office of the Secretary of Commerce.
Industry insiders say the order should catalyse a surge in space-related investment. Beneficiaries include dominant players like SpaceX and Blue Origin as they expand their spaceport activities but more importantly start-ups in launch services, satellite operations and space infrastructure, where smoother market entry could spur more capital enthusiasm for the sector.
Trump’s order comes after a flurry of criticism of regulators and even lawsuits against the government for its perceived delaying of commercial launches.
In the US, launches have traditionally been regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, a role the agency fell into as commercial space took hold more than a decade ago.
In February this year, SpaceX accused the FAA of “superfluous environmental analysis” delaying its Starship flight tests for months. SpaceX said the environmental issues were “illustrative of the difficulties launch companies face in the current regulatory environment for launch and reentry licensing.”
SpaceX said it had invested an estimated $3 billion in its Starbase facility and Starship system from 2014 to 2023, with any delays to testing programs costing millions and slowing up the deployment of next-generation Starlink satellites.
In 2023, SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen had said prolonged environmental delays had led to a “substantial reduction in investment” in Starbase.
