U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order designed to ease regulations for the private space industry, a move that includes eliminating some environmental reviews. The decision is likely to be welcomed by Elon Musk, his former adviser.
The executive order, which aims to “substantially” increase the number of space launches in the United States, was labeled “reckless” by an environmental group. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has been a vocal supporter of several space missions, including sending humans to the Moon and Mars. These missions are planned to use Musk’s private firm SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket.
Starship, however, has faced several setbacks, with its most recent test in June ending in a fiery explosion. Despite this, SpaceX dominates the global launch market, with its rockets launching over 130 times last year—a number that is set to rise following Trump’s new order.
“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 by 2030,” the order stated. This change is expected to benefit Musk, who has long advocated for deregulation in the space industry. The world’s richest man was a close adviser to Trump until their public falling-out in July.
The executive order also directs Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was present at the signing, to “eliminate or expedite the Department of Transportation’s environmental reviews” for launches. SpaceX has faced repeated criticism regarding the environmental impact of Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket in history, at its launch sites.
The U.S. nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity criticized the order, stating it “paves the way for the massive destruction of protected plants and animals.” The center’s Jared Margolis added, “This reckless order puts people and wildlife at risk from private companies launching giant rockets that often explode and wreak devastation on surrounding areas.”
Musk’s ambition to colonize Mars depends on Starship’s success, and SpaceX operates with a “fail fast, learn fast” philosophy. In May, the Federal Aviation Administration approved an increase in annual Starship launches from five to 25, concluding that the heightened frequency would not have a negative impact on the environment.
