[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 19, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 40219-40221]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-15822]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 90 , No. 158 / Tuesday, August 19, 2025 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 40219]]
Executive Order 14335 of August 13, 2025
Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space
Industry
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. In 1969, the United States landed
the first humans on the Moon. In the years since,
premier space companies from around the world have been
drawn to launch rockets and satellites from the United
States, incentivized by its infrastructure and support
for commercial space activities. Americans are more
prosperous because of the space research and
development occurring here.
It is imperative that we build on the far-reaching
actions taken by my Administration during my first term
to ensure that new space-based industries, space
exploration capabilities, and cutting-edge defense
systems are pioneered in America rather than by our
adversaries. Ensuring that United States operators can
efficiently launch, conduct missions in space, and
reenter United States airspace is critical to economic
growth, national security, and accomplishing Federal
space exploration objectives.
Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States
to enhance American greatness in space by enabling a
competitive launch marketplace and substantially
increasing commercial space launch cadence and novel
space activities by 2030. To accomplish this, the
Federal Government will streamline commercial license
and permit approvals for United States-based operators.
Sec. 3. Reforming Regulatory Barriers to Commercial
Launch and Reentry. (a) The Secretary of
Transportation, in consultation with the Chair of the
Council on Environmental Quality, shall, consistent
with applicable law, use all available authorities to
eliminate or expedite the Department of
Transportation's environmental reviews for, and other
obstacles to the granting of, launch and reentry
licenses and permits. Such measures shall include the
exercise of authority by the Secretary of
Transportation under 51 U.S.C. 50905(b)(2)(C) as
applicable; determining which Department of
Transportation functions are not subject to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); and, as
appropriate, establishing categorical exclusions under
NEPA (or relying on existing categorical exclusions)
for launch and reentry licenses and permits within
certain parameters.
(b) The Secretary of Transportation shall
reevaluate, amend, or rescind, as appropriate and
consistent with applicable law, the regulations at Part
450 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations. The
Secretary's evaluation, amendment, or rescission shall
specifically address:
(i) what regulatory requirements should be inapplicable for a launch or
reentry vehicle that possesses a flight termination system or automated
flight safety system;
(ii) what regulatory requirements should be inapplicable or waived for
hybrid launch or reentry vehicles that hold valid Federal Aviation
Administration airworthiness certificates;
(iii) whether to expand the conditions that demonstrate reliability for a
reentry vehicle, sufficient to protect against a high-consequence event on
reentry; and
(iv) whether other existing requirements are too attenuated to a vehicle's
actual launch or reentry to warrant retention in Part 450.
[[Page 40220]]
(c) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Transportation shall report to the
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy a
description of the actions that have been or will be
taken pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.
Sec. 4. Reforming Regulatory Barriers to Next
Generation Spaceport Infrastructure. (a) The Secretary
of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of
Defense, the Secretary of Transportation, and the
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), shall, within 180 days of the
date of this order, conduct an evaluation of relevant
States' compliance under the Coastal Zone Management
Act pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1458, the effect of any lack
of compliance on the development of spaceport
infrastructure, and whether State approvals under that
Act should be revoked. The Secretary of Defense, the
Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation,
and the Administrator of NASA shall also notify the
Department of Justice of any State or local limitations
on spaceport development on Federal lands that may be
inconsistent with Federal law.
(b) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Transportation,
and the Administrator of NASA shall execute a
memorandum of understanding that aligns review
processes for spaceport development across agencies,
eliminates those that are duplicative, and preserves
required Federal space-exploration and National
Security Space Launch capacity.
(c) The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the
Interior, the Secretary of Transportation, and the
Administrator of NASA shall, consistent with applicable
law, use all available authorities to expedite their
respective environmental and administrative reviews for
authorizations, permits, approval, real property
leases, and any other activity relevant to spaceport
infrastructure development. The Chair of the Council on
Environmental Quality shall coordinate with relevant
executive departments and agencies (agencies) on the
establishment of new categorical exclusions under NEPA
for actions related to spaceport development that
normally do not have a significant effect on the
quality of the human environment. Agencies shall, for
purposes of establishing these categorical exclusions,
rely on any sufficient basis to do so as each such
agency determines.
(d) The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of
Transportation, and the Administrator of NASA shall,
mindful of the significant national security
imperatives inherent in commercial space advancement,
consider for all spaceport development projects whether
to submit an application to the Endangered Species
Committee pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1536(e).
Sec. 5. Reforming Novel Space Activity Authorization.
Within 150 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Commerce shall propose a process for
individualized mission authorizations for activities
that are covered by Article VI of the Outer Space
Treaty of 1967, but not clearly or straightforwardly
governed by existing regulatory frameworks, with the
goal of expediting and streamlining authorizations to
enable American space competitiveness and superiority.
This proposal must solicit and consider affected
agencies' feedback on the authorization process,
contain a definitive timeline for the grant or denial
of authorization for proposed activities, and include
clear and consistent requirements for applicants. The
Secretary of Commerce shall transmit the proposal to
the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the
Assistant to the President for National Security
Affairs, and the Assistant to the President for Science
and Technology. Nothing in this section shall be
construed to apply to human spaceflight.
Sec. 6. Reforming Regulatory Leadership and
Accountability. (a) Within 60 days of the date of this
order, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish
a position in the Office of the Secretary with the
responsibility of advising the Secretary of
Transportation on fostering innovation and deregulation
in the commercial space transportation industry. The
Secretary of Transportation shall further direct the
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to
take all necessary steps to appoint a senior executive
[[Page 40221]]
noncareer employee to be the Associate Administrator
for Commercial Space Transportation.
(b) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Commerce shall elevate the Office of Space
Commerce into the Office of the Secretary.
Sec. 7. Administrative Note. Where applicable, the
functions assigned to the Secretary of Transportation
in sections 1 through 5 of this order shall be carried
out by the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration under the direction of the Secretary of
Transportation.
Sec. 8. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.
(d) The costs for publication of this order shall
be borne by the Department of Transportation.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
August 13, 2025.
[FR Doc. 2025-15822
Filed 8-18-25; 8:45 am]
Billing code 4910-9X-P