Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is launching a new effort to streamline commercial space licensing, allowing innovation to hit the industry with greater ease.
According to a proposed rule, the FAA would have the ability to “waive requirements of laws of the U.S. for a license or permit, after consultation with the head of the appropriate executive agency, when the requirement is not necessary to protect the public health and safety, safety of property, and national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.” The licenses and permits affect launch sites, operations for a reentry site, experimental permits, and launch or reentry vehicles, the proposed rule explains.
The Department of Transportation noted that the FAA has authorized more commercial space operations in the last five years than in the last three decades.
“America won the first Space Race, and we can do it again — but only if we get government red tape out of the way. That’s why President Trump has charged USDOT with unlocking the final frontier and re-establishing the United States’ dominance in space,” Duffy said in a statement. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are supercharging commercial space activity, slashing costs, and strengthening America’s competitive edge in this vital field.”
The effort aligns with a 2025 executive order from President Trump calling for competition within the commercial space industry.
“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 and novel space activities by 2030,” the order says. “To accomplish this, the Federal Government will streamline commercial license and permit approvals for United States-based operators.”
