Trump Hands Elon Musk Big Win With New Order
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that directed federal agencies to cut or speed up regulatory reviews for commercial rocket launches.
The order, which was designed to "eliminate outdated, redundant, or overly restrictive rules for launch and reentry vehicles," concerns the types of launches carried out by SpaceX, one of Musk's largest companies.
Newsweek reached out to SpaceX via email for comment.
Why It Matters
SpaceX is the world's most valuable private startup, with a value of $350 billion. Musk's shares in the company are the largest singular contributor to his net worth, after Tesla's lackluster first quarter in 2025. SpaceX holds several major contracts with NASA and the federal government and is responsible for regular resupply and manned missions to the International Space Station (ISS).
Elon Musk and Donald Trump address reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025.
Elon Musk and Donald Trump address reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025.What To Know
The executive order directed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to review Part 450 of FAA regulations governing launch licensing and to remove or revise rules deemed obsolete or overly restrictive for launch and reentry vehicles, potentially speeding approvals for multiple-launch licensing and novel activities.
The president's directive also elevated the Office of Space Commerce to report directly to the Commerce secretary and made the head of the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation a political appointee, changes the White House said would give commercial space greater priority.
SpaceX, the most frequent U.S. launcher and the company developing the large Starship system, stands to gain the most from these changes, as it conducts regular commercial launches to test Starship and maintain the Starlink network.
The order also instructed Duffy to work with the Council on Environmental Quality to eliminate or expedite environmental reviews for launches, including reviews carried out under the National Environmental Policy Act.
SpaceX conducts several launches a month. These are normally a mix of private commercial flights and collaborations with NASA, which contracts Musk's company for regular flights to the ISS.
What People Are Saying
SpaceX restated its goals for reaching Mars in a March statement: "Expansion of Starship production and launch operations in Florida will enable SpaceX to significantly increase the build and flight rates for Starship, which will be the first rapidly and fully reusable launch vehicle in history.
"Access to space is a critical and growing need for U.S. national security, leadership in science, the country's exploration goals, and for the growth of the economy. Starship will ultimately be responsible for sending millions of tons of payload to Mars—building a self-sustaining city to make humanity multiplanetary."
What Happens Next
SpaceX will continue with commercial and NASA-backed launches throughout the year while the directive takes effect.
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