Trump Executive Order Calls for Commercial Space Launch Revisions
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Aug. 13 aimed at deregulating the commercial space sector, which it said will help make American space launch companies more competitive. The order doesn't explicitly mention the loosening of export or trade restrictions, but it directs the Commerce and Transportation departments, along with other government offices, to create a "streamlined process for authorizing novel space activities (missions not clearly or straightforwardly governed by existing regulatory frameworks) with the goal of enabling American space competitiveness and superiority in new space-based industries."
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A White House fact sheet said "inefficient permitting processes discourage investment and innovation, limiting the ability of U.S. companies to lead in global space markets." It specifically pointed to "overly complex environmental and other licensing and permitting regulations" that "slow down commercial space launches and infrastructure development, and benefit entrenched incumbents (who can afford to bear the expense of regulatory compliance) over new market entrants (who cannot)."
Within 150 days of the order, the Commerce Department must propose a process for "individualized mission authorizations for activities that are covered by Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, but not clearly or straightforwardly governed by existing regulatory frameworks, with the goal of expediting and streamlining authorizations to enable American space competitiveness and superiority. " The order said the U.S. hopes to significantly increase commercial space launches and other space activities by 2030.
The U.S. earlier this year issued revised policy guidance for missile technology exports, which one Commerce official said gives the Bureau of Industry and Security more flexibility to approve export licenses to support space launch vehicle programs (see 2503190055). Commerce and the State Department also released new rules last year aimed at reducing licensing requirements for exports of certain space-related items to a range of U.S. trading partners and proposed to transfer export control jurisdiction over other space-related defense items from the State Department to the Commerce Department (see 2410180027).