US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a memo to help drastically increase the number of US commercial space launches, including directing government agencies to look at federal land for new launch and re-entry sites.The White House wants to enable at least 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030, up from 178 launches last year, a figure that is already 10 times higher than in 2013 and dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
The memo, focused on boosting the commercial space industry, called on agencies to incentivize co-development of space transportation infrastructure with private sector partners, expedite permitting and environmental reviews and ensure adequate wireless spectrum for space launches.
Trump also wants to return US astronauts to the moon by 2028. The memo directs NASA to facilitate commercial transportation to the moon and commercial robotic access to Mars, and to explore commercial avenues to send humans to Mars.
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said the new national space transportation policy "meets this moment of explosive growth and positions America to lead the next era of space."
He said it calls for a "commercial-first approach enabling Americans on the Moon by 2028 and initial Moon Base elements by 2030, and rapid, resilient launch capabilities for national security."
