The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Tuesday plans to optimize regulations concerning commercial space launches and vehicle returns.
These changes include the possibility for operators to submit launch applications electronically, providing greater flexibility when demonstrating an equivalent level of safety, and consolidating three required safety analyses into a single application.
The White House administration aims to ensure at least 1,000 launches and returns annually by 2030, significantly exceeding last year's figure of 178 launches. Meanwhile, the activity volume in 2013 was ten times smaller, and SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, dominated then.
The FAA emphasized that 'simplifying these critical rules will allow American space operators to continue leading the global growth of commercial launches while maintaining the highest FAA safety standards.'
The public has the opportunity to provide comments on the proposed changes until November 4.
Previously, in August, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum aimed at sharply increasing the number of commercial space launches in the U.S. This document also instructed government agencies to study federal lands for the creation of new launch and return sites.
In July, the FAA presented a proposal to exempt certain laws to simplify and accelerate commercial space licensing.