A new national space transportation policy signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday calls for the development of more spaceports to support over 1,000 launches and reentries per year by 2030. The presidential memorandum replaces a 2013 policy signed by former President Barack Obama, which shared an emphasis on supporting the commercial space industry and assured access to space.

The launch sector has seen significant growth since then; last year there were 176 orbital launches from US soil – nearly ten times the number in 2013. SpaceX led the pack with 165 Falcon 9 orbital launches, plus five suborbital test flights of Starship.

The policy document supports more efficient range scheduling criteria at federally owned spaceports, balancing the needs of commercial users and US government missions. It also directs the military and NASA to ‘regularly publish range schedules to ensure transparent allocation of resources and optimize launch capacity.’

Only the Florida and California spaceports are currently equipped for heavy-lift launches, making infrastructure investments a key focus. By 2030, America’s space transportation ranges must grow to support more than 1,000 launches and reentries every year.

The projected surge is driven by commercial and military demand for communications services, overhead surveillance, space-based targeting, and orbital data centers. Schedule transparency will be a cornerstone of this new policy, ensuring that the heavens remain accessible but not overcrowded.