Trump moves to eliminate environmental rules for space companies like SpaceX

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at dismantling environmental protection rules for commercial space companies. It seems that SpaceX and Blue Origin might not have to consider the environmental impact of their rocket launches so heavily in the future.

Signed on Wednesday, the purpose of Trump's executive order is ostensibly to "enhance American greatness in space" by bolstering its competitive space launch industry. Specifically, the government will "streamline" permit approvals for U.S.-based space companies, and "eliminate or expedite… environmental reviews for, and other obstacles to the granting of, launch and reentry licenses and permits."

Currently, private space companies are required to obtain a license from the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before any launch or reentry carried out within the country or by a citizen. As part of this process, the FAA conducts an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

This assessment considers the proposed activity's environmental impact across 14 categories, including air quality, noise, hazardous materials or pollution, water resources, and biological resources such as plants and wildlife. Socioeconomic concerns, issues of environmental justice, and risks to children's environmental health and safety are also evaluated.

Under the new executive order, such considerations may soon be removed from the private space flight approval process. Trump stated that eliminating regulations is intended to "significantly" increase the regularity of both rocket launches and novel space activities by 2030.

Novel space activities are private missions that do not directly fall under the current U.S. regulatory system. Said system only addresses private remote-sensing systems, launch and reentry, and non-federal use of the radio frequency spectrum. As such, activities such as commercial human spaceflight, mining or manufacturing in space, and the removal of orbital debris are all considered novel.

The elimination of environmental considerations when issuing rocket launch licenses is particularly concerning considering that some companies haven't strictly adhered to the regulations that are in place. Elon Musk's SpaceX has faced significant criticism from environmentalists, who claim that activities at its Texas launch site are destroying its surroundings and damaging the nests of vulnerable shorebirds. The multi-billion dollar company was fined just $150,000 last year after it violated environmental regulations by flooding the surrounding environment with thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater.