Trump administration issues new space transportation policy targeting 1,000 annual launches by 2030
The presidential memorandum calls for additional federal spaceports, greater range transparency and faster launch capability to support a projected surge in commercial and military space activity.
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Thursday that updates the United States' national space transportation policy, setting a goal of more than 1,000 launches and re-entries each year by 2030. The directive replaces the 2013 policy issued under former President Barack Obama and retains an emphasis on supporting the commercial space sector while stressing the need for assured access to space.
The memo directs the Pentagon and NASA to prioritize infrastructure investments that expand launch and re-entry capacity at existing federal ranges, including Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Kennedy Space Center, Vandenberg Space Force Base and Wallops Flight Facility. Only the Florida and California sites currently support heavy-lift vehicles. The policy also requires regular public posting of range schedules to improve transparency and optimize resource allocation.
The Department of the Interior has been tasked with identifying additional federal lands that could serve as new launch or re-entry sites, following a recent request for comments on the possible use of submerged lands and decommissioned offshore rigs. The administration cites a Pentagon study that recommends a third heavy-lift launch location to enhance geographic resiliency, a point echoed by Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and Space Force General Chance Saltzman during a May hearing.
Officials estimate that combined launches from Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg could reach 700 per year by 2036, not counting private facilities such as SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas or its planned Louisiana site. The memorandum also calls for more responsive launch operations, aiming to place high-priority payloads into orbit within 48 hours from “expeditionary locations,” a capability that companies like Rocket Lab and Astra are already developing.
In addition to launch-range reforms, the policy supports NASA’s commercial lunar transportation efforts and directs the agency to back future robotic and crewed missions to Mars. Ongoing actions include streamlining permitting, expediting environmental reviews and implementing user fees for commercial launches at NASA or military spaceports.