U.S. Transportation Secretary and Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy attended the White House for the signing of an executive order by President Donald J. Trump aimed at boosting U.S. competitiveness in the commercial space sector.
“People think the Department of Transportation is just planes, trains, and automobiles – but we have a critical role to play in unlocking the final frontier. By slashing red tape tying up spaceport construction, streamlining launch licenses so they can occur at scale, and creating high-level space positions in government, we can unleash the next wave of innovation. At NASA, this means continuing to work with commercial space companies and improving our spaceports’ ability to launch,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary and Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, we will enable American space competitiveness and superiority for decades to come. I look forward to leveraging my dual role at DOT and NASA to make this dream a reality.”
The executive order is intended to encourage a competitive marketplace for launches and increase commercial launch activity as well as new types of operations by 2030.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford expressed support for the measure: “The FAA strongly supports President Trump’s executive order to make sure the U.S. leads the growing space economy and continues to lead the world in space transportation and innovation,” he said. “This order safely removes regulatory barriers so that U.S. companies can dominate commercial space activities.”
Key provisions include making it easier for operators based in the United States to obtain licenses or permits by removing certain regulatory hurdles, expediting environmental reviews related to launches and reentries, eliminating duplicate review processes for new spaceports, and establishing streamlined authorization procedures for emerging activities such as manufacturing in orbit or orbital refueling.
The executive order also calls for creating a new advisory position within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation focused on promoting innovation and deregulation in commercial space efforts. Additionally, changes are planned for federal agencies involved with commercial space regulation: The FAA’s Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation will become a senior executive non-career employee, while the Office of Space Commerce will be elevated within its department.
According to officials, these actions are designed to reduce regulatory obstacles that could hinder growth or cause America’s commercial space industry to fall behind international competitors.
