New U.S. space policy targets 1,000 annual launches by 2030

President Trump signed a new National Space Transportation Policy, the first update since 2013, aiming to support more than 1,000 rocket launches per year by 2030. The policy directs federal agencies to expand launch and reentry sites and integrate spaceflight operations into air traffic management. Agencies have 180 days to begin identifying potential locations and 90 days to find federal lands for reentry sites.

The policy marks the first major revision to U.S. space transportation guidance in over a decade, arriving as commercial launch activity has surged roughly eightfold since 2015. It assigns NASA, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Defense specific timelines for scouting new launch sites and upgrading existing facilities, with private investment encouraged to help fund development.

Reentry infrastructure receives particular emphasis, with agencies directed to identify federal lands for landing sites within 90 days. The policy also builds on a 2025 executive order streamlining environmental reviews. Meanwhile, SpaceX's Starship program, targeting fully reusable flights, could far exceed the 1,000-launch goal, with company projections suggesting over 10,000 annual flights by decade's end.