Trump relaxes space industry regulations to strengthen its 'dominant position' in the market

On Wednesday, Donald Trump ordered a relaxation of procedures and regulations—particularly environmental rules—to enable the U.S. private space sector to increase launches, a move that would benefit his longtime ally Elon Musk.

"It is the policy of the United States to strengthen its dominant position in space by promoting competition in the launch market," the president said in an executive order.

To that end, the president is urging his administration to remove administrative barriers to commercial space activities, which he hopes will support several of his projects, including sending humans to the Moon and Mars and constructing a missile defense system called Golden Dome.

Taking risks as a strategy

Musk, currently developing Starship—the largest rocket ever designed for trips to the Moon and Mars—favors a “take risks” approach, relying on multiple prototype launches to achieve breakthroughs, even if some explode.

This strategy has drawn criticism on environmental grounds and currently lacks the support of regulatory authorities.

SpaceX continues to lead the space sector

Previously reserved for governments, the space sector opened to private initiatives in the early 2000s, beginning significant growth, particularly in the United States.

SpaceX continues to dominate the global market, with more than 130 launches scheduled by 2024.

This number is expected to keep growing under GOP guidelines, which call for a significant increase in the pace of U.S. commercial launches and innovative space activities by 2030.