Donald Trump orders faster space launch permits, easing industry rules
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to simplify regulations in the space industry, which includes speeding up environmental reviews for spacecraft and rocket launches – a decision that could benefit private space companies.
The executive order, made public by the White House on August 13, 2025, seeks to “streamline regulations and foster a competitive commercial space industry” in the United States.
Easier approvals for commercial space
One of the order’s main directives instructs the US Secretary of Transportation, working with the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, to remove or accelerate environmental reviews for launch and reentry licenses and permits.
“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,” Duffy said in a US DOT statement.
In agreement with Duffy, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated that the agency “strongly supports President Trump’s executive order” as it “safely removes regulatory barriers so that US companies can dominate commercial space activities.”
Another aspect of the order is to encourage new space activities such as in-space manufacturing and orbital refueling , missions that are not clearly defined or easily governed by current regulatory frameworks.
Additionally, the order instructs the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Administrator of NASA “to align their review processes to eliminate duplicative regulations and expedite spaceport development.”
Finally, it establishes a new position in the Office of the Secretary to advise on promoting innovation and deregulation in the commercial space industry.
What does this mean for US space companies?
The order’s provision to eliminate or speed up environmental reviews for launch and reentry licenses could benefit private space companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, or Rocket Lab, by minimizing delays and red tape involved in gaining federal approval.
Some of these companies have previously criticized the FAA for its slow review of launch permits since the implementation of the Part 450 rule in March 2021, which aimed to streamline the licensing process for commercial launches and reentries.
Since 2024, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has repeatedly criticized the FAA’s licensing process, particularly over delays in approving commercial spaceflights.
“Unfortunately, we continue to be stuck in a reality where it takes longer to do the government paperwork to license a rocket launch than it does to design and build the actual hardware,” SpaceX previously said in a statement. The post Donald Trump orders faster space launch permits, easing industry rules appeared first on AeroTime.
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to simplify regulations in the space industry, which includes…
The post Donald Trump orders faster space launch permits, easing industry rules appeared first on AeroTime.
