Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry
Record date: 2025-08-19
Executive Order 14335 of August 13, 2025 Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose. In 1969, the United States landed the first humans on the Moon. In the years since, premier space companies from around the world have been drawn to launch rockets and satellites from the United States, incentivized by its infrastructure and support for commercial space activities. Americans are more prosperous
What this record contains
- Federal Register document
- 2025-15822
- Publication date
- 2025-08-19
- Citation
- 90 FR 40219
- Issuing office
- Executive Office of the President
Official record excerpt
Executive Order 14335 of August 13, 2025 Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose. In 1969, the United States landed the first humans on the Moon. In the years since, premier space companies from around the world have been drawn to launch rockets and satellites from the United States, incentivized by its infrastructure and support for commercial space activities. Americans are more prosperous because of the space research and development occurring here. It is imperative that we build on the far-reaching actions taken by my Administration during my first term to ensure that new space-based industries, space exploration capabilities, and cutting-edge defense systems are pioneered in America rather than by our adversaries. 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 exploration objectives. Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to enhance American greatness in space by enabling a competitive launch marketplace and substantially increasing commercial space launch cadence and novel space activities by 2030. To accomplish this, the Federal Government will streamline commercial license and permit approvals for United States-based operators. Sec. 3. Reforming Regulatory Barriers to Commercial Launch and Reentry. (a) The Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, shall, consistent with applicable law, use all available authorities to eliminate or expedite the Department of Transportation's environmental reviews for, and other obstacles to the granting of, launch and reentry licenses and permits. Such measures shall include the exercise of authority by the Secretary of Transportation under 51 U.S.C. 50905(b)(2)(C) as applicable; determining which Department of Transportation functions are not subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); and, as appropriate, establishing categorical exclusions under NEPA (or relying on existing categorical exclusions) for launch and reentry licenses and permits within certain parameters. (b) The Secretary of Transportation shall reevaluate, amend, or rescind, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, the regulations at Part 450 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations . The Secretary's evaluation, amendment, or rescission shall specifically address: (i) what regulatory requirements should be inapplicable for a launch or reentry vehicle that possesses a flight termination system or automated flight safety system; (ii) what regulatory requirements should be inapplicable or waived for hybrid launch or reentry vehicles that hold valid Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness certificates; (iii) whether to expand the conditions that demonstrate reliability for a reentry vehicle, sufficient to protect against a high-consequence event on reentry; and (iv) whether other existing requirements are too attenuated to a vehicle's actual launch or reentry to warrant retention in Part 450. ( printed page 40220) (c) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Transportation shall report to the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy a description of the actions that have been or will be taken pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. Sec. 4. Reforming Regulatory Barriers to Next Generation Spaceport Infrastructure. (a) The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shall, within 180 days of the date of this order, conduct an evaluation of relevant States' compliance under the Coastal Zone Management Act pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1458 , the effect of any lack of compliance on the development of spaceport infrastructure, and whether State approvals under that Act should be revoked. The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Administrator of NASA 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. (b) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Administrator of NASA shall execute a memorandum of understanding that aligns review processes for spaceport development across agencies, eliminates those that are duplicative, and preserves required Federal space-exploration and National
The excerpt is reproduced from the public federal record and may omit later sections, tables, signatures or attachments. Open the official source for the complete text.
Questions for accountability
- What legal authority does this economy action cite?
- Which agencies or officials were directed to act?
- What measurable implementation, cost, deadline or later court action followed?
How to use this page
This is a source-record entry, not a truth-rating by itself. It preserves the action, date and original government publication so it can be connected to later claims, implementation records, court decisions, costs and measurable outcomes. Editorial claim reviews on this site use separate finding labels and explain the evidence for those findings.