Trump signs a new commercial priority space policy: the annual launch target is a thousand times, and SpaceX (SPCX.US) is the biggest beneficiary

The Zhitong Finance App learned that US President Trump signed a memorandum on Thursday aimed at drastically increasing the number of US commercial space launches, including instructing government agencies to evaluate and find new launch and re-entry (return to the atmosphere) sites on federal soil.

The White House hopes to achieve at least 1,000 launches and re-entries per year by 2030, compared to 178 launches last year — 10 times that of 2013, and is mainly dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPCX.US).

The memorandum, which focuses on promoting the development of the commercial space industry, calls on agencies to encourage joint development of space transportation infrastructure with private sector partners, speed up licensing and environmental review processes, and ensure sufficient radio spectrum for space launches.

Trump also wants to send American astronauts back to the moon by 2028. The memorandum instructs the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to promote commercial transportation to the Moon and commercial robotic exploration to Mars, and explore commercial routes to send humans to Mars.

Michael Kratzos, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said that this new national space transportation policy “adapts to this moment of explosive growth and enables America to lead the next space age.”

He added that the policy calls for “a business-first approach to ensure that Americans land on the moon by 2028, establish initial lunar base elements by 2030, and provide rapid and resilient launch capabilities for national security.”

Trump wants to select a new federal re-entry venue within 90 days.

Trump also wants agencies to avoid carrying out US government space transportation activities that “exclude, hinder, or compete with US commercial space transportation activities,” “unless required for public safety or national security.”

In May of this year, the director of the US Federal Aviation Administration stated that SpaceX's goal is to reach 10,000 launches per year within five years.

SpaceX carried out 170 launches in 2025 and deployed about 2,500 satellites. In January of this year, SpaceX said it hoped to launch a constellation of 1 million satellites to use solar energy to power an artificial intelligence data center while orbiting the Earth.

Trump wants multiple cabinet departments to quickly determine future space launch and re-entry sites on government land and designate priority airspace for key space launch corridors. He also hopes to incorporate space transportation activities into the modernization of air traffic management.

At the beginning of his second term, Trump talked many times about sending missions to Mars. As Trump's main donor and SpaceX's priority, Musk once served as a close adviser to Trump and an influential “tsar” of government efficiency.

However, members of Congress are gradually returning their focus to the moon, pressuring NASA to stick to the agency's “Artemis” lunar landing program, which has now cost billions of dollars.

Trump's memorandum also instructs federal agencies to consider applications to launch commercial foreign space vehicles in the US on a case-by-case basis.