U.S. President Donald Trump signed a national security memo to increase annual approvals for rocket launches and re-entries in the United States to more than 1,000 by 2030.

On Aug. 21 local time, blockchain media outlet Cryptopolitan reported that the move focuses on accelerating licensing procedures for commercial space launches to sharply boost U.S. orbital launch capacity.

The memo instructs federal agencies to fast-track reviews of launch facilities and environmental assessments. Trump set a goal of raising annual U.S. launch and re-entry cases across federal and private sectors to around 1,000 by 2030. At current levels, that would amount to approving 3 space launches a day.

As a comparison point, the United States recorded 178 orbital launches in 2025. The 1,000 target is an expansion of more than 5 times the current level. The White House presented the memo as an “America First” framework to replace existing national space transportation policy.

More specifically, the Commerce Department and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be tasked with ensuring radio frequency bands needed for launches, re-entries and on-orbit operations. The Transportation Department was instructed to designate priority airspace corridors and include launch traffic in a modernised air traffic control system. The core of the move is not new funding but, in the outlet’s words, ensuring “rapid paperwork processing.”

SpaceX is cited as the biggest potential beneficiary. SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, accounts for the largest share of U.S. space launch capacity and has invested more than $15 billion in its Starship program alone. A sharp rise in launch numbers is likely to work in favour of operators with existing infrastructure and launch capacity.

Easing the burden of reviews related to environmental and habitat protection is also cited as beneficial for SpaceX. Activist opposition and potential lawsuits have so far acted as a cost factor for launch businesses. The memo does not remove environmental groups’ right to legal action. Environmental groups can still contest individual approvals in court.

The memo follows an August 2025 executive order on competition in the commercial space industry. The United States maintains an overwhelming edge in the private launch market, but other countries are also moving quickly to expand launch capacity. Canada, one of seven major economies that cannot access orbit on its own, committed 305 million Canadian dollars under its “Launch the North” program and is supporting startups such as the Canadian Rocket Company, NordSpace and Reaction Dynamics.

China and India are also accelerating their pursuit. China recovered a rocket’s first stage on land for the first time after a successful Zhuque-3 launch this week. It was additional progress after a July 10 recovery at sea using a net. India said in July that Skyroot completed a test launch of a low-Earth orbit rocket carrying a 350 kg payload, signalling entry into the global satellite launch market.

Against this backdrop, the U.S. move is seen as an effort to raise launch supply capacity by prioritising deregulation and faster administrative processing. Since no new budget was allocated, relevant agencies will have to pursue the goal through public-private cooperation and internal budget reallocation. Whether the United States can actually implement the annual 1,000-case system will depend not only on licensing speed but also on whether it can manage airspace operations, secure spectrum and handle legal variables in the approval process for individual projects.