Trump Signs New Space Transportation Policy Targeting 1,000 Launches Per Year by 2030

President Donald Trump signed a new national space transportation policy on Thursday calling for the development of more spaceports to support more than 1,000 launches and reentries per year by 2030. The presidential memorandum replaces a 2013 policy signed by former President Barack Obama. Both policies share an emphasis on supporting the commercial space industry and underscore the importance of assured access to space. But the launch sector has changed immensely since then.

There were 176 orbital launch attempts from US soil last year, nearly 10 times the number in 2013. SpaceX led the pack last year with 165 orbital launches of its Falcon 9 rocket, plus five suborbital test flights of the much larger Starship. The new policy states: By 2030, our space transportation ranges must grow to support more than 1,000 launches and reentries every year.