The White House on Aug. 20 issued a new national space transportation policy that calls for U.S. space transportation ranges to support more than 1,000 launches and reentries annually by 2030. The policy directs directing federal agencies to expand launch infrastructure, commercial access, and integration with air traffic management.
The policy memorandum replaces the national space transportation policy issued in 2013. It frames expanded access to space as both an economic and national security priority.
“American space transportation capabilities underpin the global economy, and commercial space innovation flourishes with affordable, reliable, and safe space transportation,” the memo states. “The United States must establish and maintain space transportation capabilities that ensure access to the full range of orbital regimes relevant to United States interests, from suborbital and very-low Earth orbit altitudes to the lunar surface, Lagrange points, and deep space.”
Expanding launch infrastructure and commercial access
The policy sets several near-term deadlines for agencies, with many of its infrastructure and planning requirements due within 180 days.
The Transportation Department, for example, has 180 days to identify potential locations for additional launch facilities and targeted improvements to existing infrastructure, implement a plan to integrate launch and reentry management into airspace and traffic control modernization, and designate priority airspace for critical space launch corridors.
In its infrastructure review, Transportation must coordinate with the Defense Department (DOD) and NASA and consult with the Commerce Department, state and local officials, and other relevant stakeholders. Its findings on potential launch locations and infrastructure improvements must be reported to the president.
Under the Trump administration, the DOD was rebranded as the War Department.
The memo also seeks to increase commercial use and investment in launch and reentry facilities. Relevant agencies, in consultation with state, local, tribal, territorial, and industry partners, must regularly evaluate opportunities to improve infrastructure and access and incentivize co-development through leases, commercial investment, and public-private partnerships for capital improvements on federal property.
Agencies must also facilitate commercial access to federal launch and reentry sites and expedite permitting and environmental reviews, building on an August 2025 executive order aimed at reducing regulatory barriers to commercial launches, reentries, and spaceport development. The memo also directs agencies to develop fair and transparent cost-recovery policies for common services, commodities, and infrastructure.
DOD tasked with faster, more flexible space access
For federal facilities and ranges, DOD and NASA must coordinate infrastructure investments to increase capacity, flexibility, agility, resilience, and economies of scale.
Within 180 days, DOD, in coordination with NASA, the departments of Commerce and Transportation, and other relevant agencies, must also develop federal range scheduling criteria aimed at maximizing efficient use of range resources for commercial users while meeting government needs. DOD must regularly publish range schedules.
In addition, the policy directs DOD to examine barriers to faster access to space. Within 180 days, the department, in coordination with Transportation and NASA, must evaluate regulatory, programmatic, operational, and technological barriers to prompt, responsive, and resilient space access, including the ability to accommodate launches within 48 hours of need and from expeditionary locations.
New reentry site, spectrum and security requirements
The memo also calls for an additional federal reentry site. Within 90 days, the Interior Department, in coordination with DOD, the Transportation Department, and other relevant agencies, and in consultation with local and industry stakeholders as appropriate, must identify federal lands that could serve that purpose.
Transportation then has 180 days to evaluate reentry safety criteria for the site, while Commerce has 240 days to produce a development plan addressing commercial access, infrastructure, and co-development needs and opportunities.
The memorandum also calls for reliable spectrum access for commercial and federal launch, reentry, recovery, and on-orbit activities. The Commerce Department and Federal Communications Commission must report within 180 days – and every two years thereafter – on their approach to ensuring that access.
DOD and the Department of Homeland Security must each report within 180 days on actions needed to secure U.S. space launch infrastructure on federal property, including any recommendations for additional policies, resources, or authorities.
Industrial base and acquisition policy
Furthermore, the policy calls for a space transportation industrial base strategy. Within 180 days, the White House assistant to the president for science and technology, in coordination with relevant agencies, must develop and implement a strategy aimed at promoting a competitive and resilient industry, increasing capability and affordability, and strengthening workforce development, retention programs, military service transition pathways, government-industry exchanges, and other talent pipelines.
The memorandum also directs agencies to ensure that U.S. government payloads are launched by or transported in space on vehicles manufactured in the United States, subject to exceptions for specified international programs, certain technology demonstrations and science payloads, and hosted payload arrangements.
The policy further directs DOD and NASA to favor commercial space transportation services for U.S. government needs and coordinate acquisitions to maximize shared requirements and government buying power. It also calls for multiple avenues for deploying government payloads and directs the agencies to avoid government space transportation activities that preclude, discourage, or compete with commercial activities unless required for public safety or national security.