Senators Propose Bill to Improve U.S. Space Industry Competitiveness and Efficiency
Goal is to streamline regulatory frameworks, foster innovation.
WASHINGTON, June 17, 2025 – Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., are backing bipartisan legislation – the LAUNCH Act – to require the Federal Aviation Administration to streamline the application of regulations for commercial space launches and reentry requirements by eliminating duplicative efforts.
“To maintain America’s competitive position, the FAA must be able to efficiently approve weekly and, eventually, daily launch and reentry operations by multiple companies in a manner that reduces the burden on the commercial space industry and government resources,” the lawmakers said.
In 2025, SpaceX has launched about 73 Falcon 9 rockets (usually with Starlink satellites as the payload) from Florida or California. The pace equals 1 rocket launch about every two days, and activity is on track to increase as companies such as Amazon begin to deploy their own satellites.
FROM SPEEDING BEAD SUMMIT
Panel 1: How Are States Thinking About Reasonable Costs Now?
Panel 2: Finding the State Versus Federal Balance in BEAD
Panel 3: Reacting to the New BEAD NOFO Guidance
Panel 4: Building, Maintaining and Adopting Digital Workforce Skills
The LAUNCH Act focuses on streamlining commercial space industry efficiency, mandating that the Secretary of Transportation provide “recommendations for reducing delays and inefficiencies…that do not rely solely on additional personnel or funding.” It also seeks to eliminate duplicative review processes with other agencies, speeding up the space launch approval process.
By reducing domestic regulatory delays, the act allows American companies to launch much more quickly, countering global competition, particularly as China accelerates its space program. The LAUNCH Act’s authors highlight this concern, noting in the bill that the application review process should “operate in a manner that encourages the global competitiveness of the commercial space industry of the United States.”
To encourage industry innovation, the Secretary of Transportation is asked to determine whether any licensing requirements can be modified or eliminated to encourage innovative new technologies and operative functions.
Coupled with modifications to licensing procedures, under which the Secretary of Transportation “shall accept a reasonable safety rationale proposed by an applicant for a license,” the commercial space industry is provided with more flexibility to implement new technology or methods, so long as they are consistent with safety requirements.
Overall, the bill’s goal is to allow private space companies to launch more efficiently and predictably, encouraging the growth of American space activity and maintaining the U.S.’s leadership in space.
