Aiming for 1,000 Launches Annually: Trump Orders Expansion of Commercial Space Capabilities, Mandating Land Survey for Spacecraft Return Facilities Within 90 Days

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on August 20, Eastern Time, directing a significant expansion of America’s commercial space transportation capabilities. The goal is to increase the number of annual commercial spacecraft launches and return missions in the United States to at least 1,000 by 2030.

To achieve this goal, the Trump administration has instructed federal agencies to inventory federal lands to identify suitable locations for new space launch and return facilities. It also demands accelerated permitting, environmental reviews, and the development of related infrastructure.

The White House’s target far exceeds current U.S. space transportation levels. The U.S. conducted 178 space launches last year, a figure already about 10 times that of 2013, with the majority led by billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

The Trump administration aims to further expand the scale of the commercial space industry through a new National Space Transportation Policy, enabling private companies to more quickly access launch sites, airspace, spectrum, and other essential resources.

Specifically, the memorandum requires federal agencies to identify new federal land for constructing spacecraft return facilities within 90 days. The administration also instructs multiple cabinet-level government agencies to rapidly inventory government-owned land for potential future use as launch and return sites.

The memorandum adopts a 'commercial-first' policy direction, encouraging government and private enterprises to jointly develop space transportation infrastructure, including launch pads, return facilities, and other ground systems supporting spaceflight. Government agencies are also required to simplify and expedite relevant permitting procedures and environmental reviews to reduce administrative barriers faced by commercial space companies expanding launch capacity.

Additionally, the Trump administration is working to ensure space launch activities have sufficient radio frequency spectrum resources. Since rocket launches, satellites, and spacecraft heavily rely on communication, navigation, and data transmission systems, spectrum resources have become a critical foundation for the expansion of the commercial space industry.

Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, stated that the new National Space Transportation Policy responds to the rapid growth of the space industry and aims to maintain U.S. leadership in the next space era. He noted the policy adopts a 'commercial-first' approach, with goals including returning Americans to the Moon by 2028 and establishing initial lunar base infrastructure by 2030, while also strengthening rapid and resilient space launch capabilities to meet national security needs.

In terms of specific timelines, President Trump has required the federal government to identify new federal land for spacecraft return facilities within 90 days. The administration has also directed multiple cabinet-level agencies to rapidly inventory government land for potential future launch and return sites.

SpaceX plays a particularly critical role in the expansion of the commercial space industry. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) head stated in May this year that SpaceX’s long-term goal is to increase its annual launch frequency to 10,000 within the next five years.

SpaceX conducted 170 rocket launches in 2025, deploying approximately 2,500 satellites into orbit—accounting for nearly all of the U.S.’s annual launch activity. As SpaceX continues to increase the reusability frequency of rockets like the Falcon 9, the cost and cycle time of commercial space launches remain a key market focus.

SpaceX has further proposed a large-scale satellite deployment concept. In January, the company announced plans to build a massive satellite constellation of 1 million satellites orbiting Earth, using solar energy to power artificial intelligence data centers. If this plan progresses, future demand for rocket launches, satellite deployment, and space transportation capabilities will further increase.

Trump’s current policy is also linked to his strong focus on Mars missions during his second term. Trump has previously discussed sending astronauts to Mars, and SpaceX founder Musk has long viewed crewed Mars missions as a key company objective. Musk is also a major political donor to Trump and served as an important advisor and head of the government efficiency department during the early days of Trump’s second administration, making Mars exploration a central topic in Trump’s space policy for a time.

However, as Congress gradually shifts policy focus back to the Moon, NASA’s Artemis program remains the core of America’s human space exploration efforts. The U.S. government and Congress have invested billions of dollars into the Artemis program, and lawmakers continue to urge NASA to advance lunar landing missions according to the existing plan, rather than excessively diverting resources toward Mars.

Thus, the memorandum signed by Trump covers both the Moon and Mars. It requires NASA to promote commercial space transportation services to the Moon, while also encouraging commercial robotic missions to Mars and further exploring the possibility of using commercial capabilities to send humans to Mars.

Another key aspect of the policy involves foreign commercial space enterprises. Trump has instructed federal agencies to conduct case-by-case reviews for foreign commercial spacecraft seeking to launch from U.S. territory. This means the U.S. may further open its domestic launch infrastructure to qualified foreign commercial space companies in the future, though conditions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Under the Trump administration’s vision, the future U.S. space transportation system will increasingly rely on commercial enterprises to provide launch, satellite deployment, lunar transport, and other space services. The federal government will reduce barriers for companies expanding space transportation capabilities through policy tools such as land allocation, airspace management, spectrum access, permitting systems, and infrastructure development.