President Donald Trump on 13 Aug 2025 signed an executive order aimed at accelerating the U.S. commercial space sector. The directive elevates the Office of Space Commerce from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the top level of the Commerce Department and instructs agencies to streamline or waive environmental and other permitting requirements for private launches and “novel space activities.” The order is part of a trio that also addresses pharmaceutical supply chains and corporate business practices, but the space measure is the most sweeping, positioning the United States to increase launch cadence “considerably” by 2030. Transportation Secretary and acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, who attended the signing, said the administration wants a permanent U.S. base on the Moon by 2030 for national-security reasons, arguing that “whoever controls space will control Earth.” Duffy added that NASA will shift resources away from climate science toward exploration and warned of the risk of conflict in space if the United States cedes technological leadership. Within hours of the order, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it has licensed its 1,000th commercial space operation—a milestone that took 35 years to reach. Duffy predicted the next 1,000 launches would occur in less than five years under the new regulatory framework. Companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin are expected to benefit, although environmental groups criticized the rollback of safeguards, saying faster approvals could increase risks to wildlife and coastal communities.