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The Trump administration is considering novel rules aimed at protecting the environment and the public during commercial rocket launches.
The draft executive order, which is spreading among federal agencies, is being viewed by Propovica, directs the Secretary of the Transportation Department to “eliminate or promote” an “environmental review for launch licenses using all available authorities.” In time, it could also require that the state allow more launches or more launch sites (known as Spaceports) along the coastline.
The order is a step towards a rollback of federal surveillance, where Musk fought hard against the Federal Aviation Administration over his space operations, and others are pushing. In recent years, commercial rocket launches have increased exponentially frequently.
Critics warn that such a move can have dangerous consequences.
“We’re committed to protecting animals and the environment,” said Jared Margolis, a senior lawyer at the Center for Biodiversity, a nonprofit that works to protect animals and the environment. “And that’s my fear here. Are they going to change things in ways that put people at risk, does that put their habitat and wildlife at risk?”
The White House did not answer questions regarding the draft order.
“The Trump administration is committed to solidifying America’s control in space without compromising public security or national security,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai. “However, unless announced by President Trump, any discussion of potential policy changes should be considered speculation.”
With this order, Trump will have more direct control over the space industry’s key regulators by turning the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Office into political appointments. The last head of the office and two other senior officials recently received an offer of voluntary separation.
The order also creates a new advisor to Shepherd’s Transport Secretary in deregulation in the space industry.
This order arises as SpaceX is increasing its ambitious projects, building reusable deep space rockets, and increasing its ambitious projects to transport people to Earth’s orbit, the moon, and ultimately to Mars. The rocket, known as the Starship, is the most powerful and most powerful rocket ever, standing at a booster at 403 feet tall. The company has hit several milestones, but it is also plagued by problems as three rockets launched by Texas this year exploded. It destroyed air traffic and rain debris on beaches and roads in the Caribbean and Gulf waters.
The draft order also seeks to limit the authority of state coastal personnel who challenged commercial launch companies like SpaceX, documents show. It could lead to federal authorities that interfere with state efforts to implement environmental rules when they contradict space’s construction or operation.
Derek Brockbank, executive director of the Coastal States Organization, said the proposed executive order allows the National Commission to prioritize space infrastructure over other land uses, including renewable energy along the coastline, waterfront development and coastal restoration. His nonprofit organization represents 34 coastal states and territory.
“We are concerned that it could potentially undermine the rights of the state to determine how they want to use the coast. “Whatever their party is, we should not come to the president and say, ‘Is this the nation should prioritize, or should I say?'” ”
SpaceX has already sued the California Coastal Commission, denounced political bias and interference in the company’s efforts to increase the number of Falcon 9 rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. The reusable Falcon 9 is SpaceX’s flagship rocket, which takes satellites to orbit and astronauts by ferry to the International Space Station.
The changes outlined in the order will bring great benefits to SpaceX and will put much more rockets into space than any other US company, but rivals like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and California-based Rocket Labs will also help. Companies have been pushing to overthrow surveillance for years, warning that the US is competing with China to return to the moon – they hope to mine resources such as water and rare earth metals and use it as a stepping stone to Mars – they could lose if regulations don’t allow US companies to move faster.
“They sound like they’re listening to industry, because they’re all strongly advocated by us,” Cavossa said when asked about the contents of the draft order.
Cavossa said she sees a “some kind of environmental review process” continuing. “What we’re talking about is to make it the right size,” he said.
He added, “We cannot handle a one-year delay due to a launch license.”
The former director of the FAA’s Commercial Space Office said at a legislative hearing last September that the office took an average of 151 days to issue new licenses over the past 11 years.
In recent years, commercial space launches have been booming. It ranges from 26 in 2019 to 157 last year. SpaceX is responsible for the Lion’s share, with more than 500 launches, mainly from Texas, Florida and California.
However, the company is entangled with the FAA and fined $633,000 for violations related to the two launches last year. The FAA did not answer questions last week about the status of the proposed fine.
SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, and the FAA did not respond to requests for comment.
Currently, the FAA environmental review examines 14 potential impacts, including air and water quality, noise pollution and land use, and provides details about launches that are not otherwise available. They sometimes elicited a great response from the public.
When SpaceX aimed to increase the launch of its spacecraft in Texas from 5 to 25 a year, residents and government agencies submitted thousands of comments. According to ProPublica analysis, most of the nearly 11,400 published comments opposed the increase. The FAA approved the increase earlier this year anyway. After conducting an environmental assessment for the May launch of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 9 from Texas, the FAA has released documents revealing that as many as 175 airline flights could be destroyed, and the Turks and Caicos Providencial International Airport will have to close during launch.
In addition to trying to reduce reviews on short-term environments, the executive order opens the door for the federal government to withdraw sections of federal regulations that require the federal government to keep its citizens safe during launches and reentries.
The rule, called Part 450, was approved during Trump’s first term and is intended to streamline commercial space regulations and speed approvals for launches. However, the rules quickly became favorable to the publisher. This said it didn’t provide sufficient guidance on how the FAA would follow and it took too long to review the application.
Musk helped lead the charges. Last September, he told attendees at a meeting in Los Angeles: He called for the resignation of the head of the FAA, who resigned when Trump took office.
Other operators have expressed similar complaints, while some members of Congress have shown support for the overhaul. In February, Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, and Rep. Zoelofgren, D-Calif., signed a letter asking the government’s Office of Accountability to review the process of approving commercial launches and re-entry.
Elon Musk’s fantastic year at the Texas State Capitol
In their letter, Babin and Lofgren wrote that they would like to understand whether the rules “respond to US commercial launches and re-entry operations effectively and efficiently” especially as the rhythm and technology diversity of such operations continues to increase.
The draft executive order directs that the section of Part 450 be “reevaluated, revised or retracted” and that “makes a diverse set of operators achieve several digits of commercial space launch cadences and increased new space activities by 2030.”
The order also directs the Commerce Department to streamline regulations on new space activities. Experts say it can include things like mining and space repairs that do not fall under other regulations.
Brandon Roberts and Prathek Levara contributed to data analysis.
