- Trump wants US to up aims to launch over 1,000 spacecraft every year by 2030
- Only 178 launches happened in 2025, mostly carried out by SpaceX
- Federal agencies must find new land for rocket launch sites
A new presidential memorandum signed by Donald Trump sets an ambitious annual benchmark for American commercial space activity within the next four years.
The new National Space Transportation Policy wants government agencies to work together so that the US hits over 1,000 spacecraft launches and returns per year by 2030.
In 2025, there were only 178 of these missions, though that number is already ten times higher than it was back in 2013, and SpaceX was behind most of them.
Land, permits, and spectrum take priority
The order replaces a national space policy that had been in place since 2013, when the previous framework was first adopted.
Within 90 days, several departments must scout available federal land that could host new sites for launching and landing spacecraft.
Approval processes for these facilities should move faster too, with environmental reviews and permits getting streamlined under the new rules.
Access to wireless spectrum, air traffic coordination and a stronger launch workforce are also named as priorities the government must address going forward.
Agencies have further been told to step back from any activity that might discourage or undercut private companies competing in the same space.
Export policies covering space technology will also be revisited periodically, aimed at protecting American intellectual property while expanding sales abroad.
The policy also calls for regular federal reviews of launch range schedules, intended to make better use of limited windows nationwide.
“This policy meets this moment of explosive growth and positions America to lead the next era of space,” said Michael Kratsios, the White House’s science and technology policy director.
Beyond Earth orbit, the memorandum pushes NASA toward landing American astronauts on the moon again before the end of 2028.
Early elements of a lunar base should follow two years later, alongside continued study of robotic and eventually human trips to Mars.
A dominant player and lingering doubts
Elon Musk’s SpaceX remains the industry’s clear leader, having carried out 170 missions last year that placed about 2,500 satellites into orbit.
Officials at the Federal Aviation Administration said back in May that the firm hopes to reach 10,000 flights annually within the next five years.
SpaceX has separately floated plans for roughly 1 million satellites designed to capture solar energy and feed power to AI data centers.
In addition to SpaceX, the U.S. will entertain requests from foreign companies that want to launch from American soil.
These firms will be screened individually, weighing security risk, investment value and site availability.
NASA, on the other hand, has been asked to build a lunar logistics network that private companies could eventually use to reach the moon commercially.
Lawmakers, meanwhile, have kept urging NASA to stay focused on Artemis, its long-running lunar program that has already consumed billions in funding.
That pressure suggests the administration’s push toward 1,000 annual launches could still meet real budgetary and political resistance in Congress.
