President Donald Trump signed three executive orders on Wednesday, headlined by a sweeping directive to loosen federal oversight of the commercial space industry. The order instructs Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to “eliminate or expedite” environmental reviews for launch and re-entry licenses, re-examine the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 450 safety rules and elevate the Office of Space Commerce to a higher rank within the Commerce Department. The White House says the changes are meant to “substantially” increase the cadence of U.S. launches by 2030. The streamlined regime is expected to benefit private launch providers, most notably Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which routinely leads the industry in annual missions and has complained that current approvals lag its rapid test schedule for the Starship heavy-lift rocket. Rivals such as Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance and Rocket Lab could also see faster licensing. Environmental groups warned that bypassing reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act could raise risks for wildlife and coastal launch sites. In a separate action, Trump revoked President Joe Biden’s 2021 executive order on promoting competition, undoing guidance that had urged agencies to scrutinise mergers and curb practices seen as feeding inflation in agriculture, technology and pharmaceuticals. The reversal signals a lighter federal touch on antitrust policy as the administration shifts its emphasis toward deregulation. A third measure establishes a Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve, directing agencies to build a stockpile of critical drug components to mitigate future supply shocks. Taken together, the trio of orders marks a broad bid to cut regulatory barriers across space, health and corporate governance.
Pharmaceuticals, monopolies, and space flight—President Trump signs three new executive orders, each aimed at reshaping key parts of American life. NTD’s Daniel Monaghan has the details. https://t.co/RgSiV9cTl2
The executive order cuts down on regulations for commercial rocket launches, the kind that SpaceX conducts regularly. https://t.co/qvrjr14GtT
I applaud President Trump for championing America’s leadership in space. His executive order is a big win for Texas — home to booming commercial space innovation. As Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, I’ll keep fighting to advance space exploration and to build a https://t.co/0PTT6bRWge