Trump Signs Executive Order to Bolster Competition in Commercial Space Industry
Order seeks to streamline permitting processes, pare down environmental review
WASHINGTON, August 14, 2025 – Launching satellites from the U.S. just got easier.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday deregulating certain aspects of the commercial space industry. Dubbed “Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry,” the order directs Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to “eliminate or expedite” environmental reviews for launch and reentry licenses and permits.
State-level efforts to block the development of spaceports, or facilities for launching and landing spacecraft, were also targeted.
“[Certain federal officials] shall also notify the Department of Justice of any State or local limitations on spaceport development on Federal lands that may be inconsistent with Federal law,” the order reads.
It also directs Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to conduct an evaluation of states’ compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Act, and whether lack of compliance had hindered spaceport development. Under the CZMA, federal agencies must comply with state’s coastal management programs, which may include environmental regulations, when building around coastal areas.
Some proposed spaceports, notably Spaceport Camden in Georgia, were scrapped due to local opposition that relied in part on the CZMA.
The Order further directs the Secretary to “reevaluate, amend, or rescind” regulations governing spaceflight in Part 450 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations. It orders federal agencies to streamline review processes for spaceports, develop an expedited approval process for novel space activities, and establish positions focused on “fostering innovation and deregulation in the commercial space transportation industry.”
“Ensuring that United States operators can efficiently launch, conduct missions in space, and reenter United States airspace is critical to economic growth, national security, and accomplishing Federal space objectives,” the order stated.
Trump’s efforts to deregulate the commercial space industry come just months after a bipartisan coalition of senators introduced legislation seeking to streamline regulatory frameworks within the industry.
The order also comes one week after the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to streamline satellite and earth station licensing rules, part of a broader bipartisan effort to accelerate U.S. leadership in the space economy.
Several members of the Trump administration have praised low-earth orbit satellites as a viable alternative to fiber, and recent changes to a federal broadband program were seen by many as benefitting the industry. Whether or not the LEO industry, dominated thus far by Elon Musk’s Starlink, will benefit from these changes remains to be seen.
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