Technology
President Trump signs updated space transportation policy targeting 1,000 annual launches by 2030
The new directive replaces a 2013 framework and calls for expanding spaceports to accommodate rapid commercial launch growth.
The short version
- President Donald Trump signed a new national space transportation policy memorandum replacing the 2013 framework established under Barack Obama.
- The directive calls for developing additional spaceports to support over 1,000 launches and reentries annually by 2030.
- The shift responds to a major increase in commercial launch activity, which reached 176 orbital attempts from U.S. soil last year.
Key facts
- President Donald Trump signed a new national space transportation policy memorandum that replaces a 2013 policy issued by former President Barack Obama.[Ars Technica]
- The updated policy directs U.S. space transportation ranges to expand to accommodate more than 1,000 launches and reentries each year by 2030.[Ars Technica]
- There were 176 orbital launch attempts conducted from U.S. territory last year, roughly ten times the total recorded in 2013.[Ars Technica]
- SpaceX conducted the vast majority of U.S. launches last year, including 165 Falcon 9 orbital missions and five Starship suborbital tests.[Ars Technica]
What remains uncertain
- The specific locations, funding sources, and development timelines for proposed new spaceports on federal land have not been detailed.[Ars Technica]