The White House issued a National Space Transportation Policy memorandum directing federal agencies to support more than 1,000 launches and reentries annually by 2030. The policy aims to expand U.S. launch infrastructure and improve operational efficiency to accommodate the projected surge in commercial and government space activity.
The memorandum outlines specific deadlines for key agencies. Within 180 days, the Secretary of War and NASA Administrator must develop federal range scheduling criteria to maximize efficient use of range resources for commercial users. The Secretary of Transportation must identify potential locations for additional launch facilities and integrate space launch management into airspace modernization efforts within the same timeframe.
The Secretary of the Interior has 90 days to identify federal lands suitable for a designated federal land reentry site, while the Secretary of Commerce must produce a development plan for the reentry site within 240 days, considering commercial access and infrastructure needs. The Assistant to the President for Science and Technology has 180 days to coordinate with agencies on a space transportation industrial base strategy, focusing on a competitive industry and workforce development programs.
The policy mandates that U.S. government payloads be launched on vehicles manufactured in the United States, with exceptions permitted under international no-exchange-of-funds agreements or for secondary science missions where no comparable U.S. service exists. The Secretary of War and NASA Administrator are required to prioritize commercial space transportation services and ensure multiple avenues for deploying government payloads across orbital regimes.
The memorandum supersedes Presidential Policy Directive 26, issued on November 21, 2013.
