US EditionEnvironmental Protection Rules for Rocket Launches Targeted by Trump Administration
UNITED STATES, JUL 22 – The proposal aims to speed up launch approvals and reduce state oversight, with launch frequency rising from 26 in 2019 to 157 last year, benefiting companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin.
- The Trump administration is drafting an executive order that instructs the Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, to accelerate environmental assessments and relax regulations governing coastal spaceport launches.
- The order instructs the secretary of transportation to review and potentially revise or repeal certain provisions of Part 450, a regulation established during the Trump administration to accelerate approvals for commercial space launches amid rapidly increasing launch activity.
- SpaceX is ramping up its Starship project, a 403-foot reusable rocket intended to carry people to Earth orbit, the moon, and Mars, despite three Texas-launched rockets exploding this year and disrupting air traffic.
- Critics, including Center for Biological Diversity attorney Jared Margolis, warn rescinding regulations risks public safety, habitats, and wildlife, while industry leaders say easing rules is necessary for the U.S. to remain competitive in the space race with China.
- The draft order would limit state coastal officials’ authority by restricting their environmental oversight of spaceports, potentially prioritizing space infrastructure over other coastal land uses, and converting the FAA’s commercial space office head into a political appointee.
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Trump Executive Order Looks to Cut Environmental Regulations That Musk Opposes
The Trump administration is considering slashing rules meant to protect the environment and the public during commercial rocket launches, changes that companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX have long sought. A draft executive order being circulated among federal agencies, and viewed by ProPublica, directs Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to “use all available authorities to eliminate or… Source
Trump admin looks to slash rocket launch rules in apparent gift to Elon Musk
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.The Trump administration is considering slashing rules meant to protect the environment and the public during commercial rocket launches, changes that companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX have long sought.A draft executive order being circulated among federal agencies, and viewed by ProPublica, directs S…
ProPublica
Katie Couric MediaTrump Administration Looking to Slash Environmental Protection Rules for Rocket Launches
A draft executive order viewed by ProPublica directs the secretary of transportation to “use all available authorities to eliminate or expedite” environmental reviews for launch licenses — a change Elon Musk’s SpaceX and others have long sought.
Trump Administration Looking To Slash Environmental Protection Rules For Rocket Launches
President-elect Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk explains the operations ahead of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, Nov. 19, 2024, in Boca Chica, Texas.(Brandon Bell / Pool via AP) Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Jan. 16, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.(John Raoux / AP Photo) By Heather Vogell, Topher SandersProPublicaTrump Administration L…
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