President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order titled “Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry,” directing federal agencies to streamline regulations that govern commercial rocket launches and spaceport development in the United States. The order instructs Transportation Secretary and acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy to eliminate or expedite environmental reviews and other permitting steps for launch and re-entry licenses overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration. It also calls for a review of the FAA’s Part 450 safety rules and seeks to curb overlapping state or agency oversight, with the stated aim of “substantially” increasing U.S. launch cadence by 2030. Looser rules are expected to benefit companies that dominate the sector, notably Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which already performs most U.S. launches and has complained that environmental studies and post-flight investigations slow testing of its Starship rocket. Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and other emerging space ventures could also gain from faster licensing and easier spaceport construction. Environmental advocates, led by the Center for Biological Diversity, warned that trimming reviews risks harm to wildlife and communities near launch sites. The White House maintains that cutting “outdated, redundant or overly restrictive” requirements will attract investment and help U.S. firms retain their lead in the global space market.