President Donald Trump signed a memo Thursday directing federal agencies to dramatically ramp up commercial rocket activity, setting a target of at least 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030, according to Reuters. Last year's total sat at 178 launches, already 10 times the 2013 figure, so reaching 1,000 would mean roughly a fivefold jump from current levels. The memo directs agencies to look at federal land for new launch and re-entry sites, calls for a new federal re-entry site to be identified within 90 days, and tells officials to expedite permitting, speed up environmental reviews, and secure adequate wireless spectrum for launches. SpaceX carried out 170 launches in 2025 and deployed about 2,500 satellites, and the company said in January it wants to eventually field a constellation of one million satellites to help power AI data centers from orbit, while the FAA's chief said in May that SpaceX aims to hit 10,000 annual launches within five years. Rocket Lab offers a smaller but growing alternative and could see incremental launch volume as agencies push to diversify beyond a single dominant provider. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios framed the memo as a commercial-first approach, pairing the launch targets with a broader lunar and Martian push, and Trump wants American astronauts back on the moon by 2028 with initial Moon Base elements by 2030.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Class A Common StockSpaceX is the dominant launch provider and stands to benefit from the federal target of 1,000 launches annually by 2030.
Rocket Lab USA Inc.Government push for 1,000 launches by 2030 could increase demand for Rocket Lab's launch services as agencies seek diversification.
