President Donald Trump signed a new policy Thursday aimed at growing U.S. space launches and expanding re-entry capacity, including directing agencies to consider federal land for new launch sites.
The Push for 1,000 Launches By 2030
The National Space Transportation Policy directs the Secretary of War, NASA, and other agencies to identify federal land for an additional reentry site within 90 days, part of a push to support more than 1,000 launches and reentries annually by 2030.
The policy also calls for priority airspace corridors, transparent range scheduling, and a “commercial-first” approach to national space transportation needs.
It directs NASA to facilitate commercial transportation to the Moon and robotic access to Mars, building on a separate executive order Trump signed in December outlining plans to return “Americans to the Moon by 2028 through the Artemis Program.”
Policy Meets ‘This Moment of Explosive Growth’
White House science and technology adviser Michael Kratsios said the policy “meets this moment of explosive growth” in the space sector, noting U.S. orbital launches have surged tenfold in 13 years, from 19 in 2013 to 178 in 2025.
“Most of our launch infrastructure dates back to the 1960s,” Kratsios said on X, adding the policy will drive commercial co-investment in next-generation sites.
Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB), Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT), Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) and 14 other companies have already been selected for the Space Force’s $981 million NITE-STAR program, which supports space test and training infrastructure.
A $1.8 Trillion Industry Attracting Record Capital
Goldman Sachs projects the global space economy will reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, citing collapsing launch costs, surging private capital, and a wave of public listings.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk had called the estimate “too conservative,” arguing reusable rockets, orbital AI computing and satellite networks could push the market far beyond that figure.
SpaceX, which went public in June at a valuation above $2 trillion, has completed 100 launches so far in 2026, following 167 last year, according to SpaceX Now, with its fastest-ever turnaround between two missions clocking in at just 38 minutes and 31 seconds earlier this month.
Price Action: Shares of SpaceX closed 4.05% lower on Thursday at $134 and lost 0.52% in extended trading.
Benzinga edge rankings show SpaceX’s stock has a negative price trend across the short, medium and long term.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Joey Sussman on Shutterstock.com
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