Trump orders space regulations eased in win for Musk

admin — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 02:48:00 +0000

President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington.
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) easing regulations for the private space industry, including eliminating some environmental reviews, in a move likely to please his erstwhile advisor, Elon Musk.

The executive order, which said it aimed to “substantially” increase the number of space launches in the United States, was described by an environmental group as “reckless.”

Also Read | Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health

Since returning to the White House in January, Mr. Trump has talked up several space missions, including sending humans to the Moon and Mars.

The Moon and Mars missions are planned to get a ride on the massive Starship rocket of Mr. Musk’s private firm SpaceX.

However, Starship has had a series of setbacks, with its latest routine test ending in a fiery explosion in June.

SpaceX dominates the global launch market, with its various-sized rockets blasting off more than 130 times last year — and that number looks set to rise after Mr. Trump’s executive order.

“It is the policy of the United States to enhance American greatness in space by enabling a competitive launch marketplace and substantially increasing commercial space launch cadence” by 2030, the order read.

The change could well benefit Musk, who has long advocated for deregulation of the space industry. The world’s richest man was previously a close advisor to Trump before the pair had a dramatic, public falling out in July.

The executive order also called on Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — who was at the signing and is currently NASA’s administrator — “to eliminate or expedite the Department of Transportation’s environmental reviews” for launches.

SpaceX has been repeatedly criticized over the environmental impact at the sites where Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket in history, blasts off.

The US-based nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity said Trump’s new executive order “paves the way for the massive destruction of protected plants and animals.”

“This reckless order puts people and wildlife at risk from private companies launching giant rockets that often explode and wreak devastation on surrounding areas,” the center’s Jared Margolis said in a statement.

Musk’s dreams of colonizing Mars rely on the success of Starship, and SpaceX has been betting that its “fail fast, learn fast” ethos will eventually pay off.

The Federal Aviation Administration approved an increase in annual Starship rocket launches from five to 25 in early May, stating that the increased frequency would not adversely affect the environment.

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Published – August 14, 2025 08:18 am IST

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Trump chooses billionaire and key transition advisor Howard Lutnick for Commerce Secretary

admin — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 20:59:00 +0000

An advocate for imposing wide-ranging tariffs, Howard Lutnick told CNBC in September that “tariffs are an amazing tool for the president to use—we need to protect the American worker”. File
| Photo Credit: AP

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he’d have a key role in carrying out Mr. Trump’s plans to raise and enforce tariffs.

Also Read: Trump’s treasury pick could give an indication of what he plans to do about tariffs

Mr. Lutnick is a co-chair of Mr. Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Mr. Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration.

The nomination would put Mr. Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data, and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial.

An advocate for imposing wide-ranging tariffs, Mr. Lutnick told CNBC in September that “tariffs are an amazing tool for the President to use — we need to protect the American worker”. Mr. Trump on the campaign trail proposed a 60% tariff on goods from China — and a tariff of up to 20% on everything else the U.S. imports.

Mainstream economists are generally sceptical of tariffs, considering them a mostly inefficient way for governments to raise money and promote prosperity.

Mr. Lutnick had been considered for Treasury Secretary, a role that has been at the centre of high-profile jockeying within the Mr. Trump world. At the same time, the Treasury position is closely watched in financial circles, where a disruptive nominee could have immediate negative consequences on the stock market, which Trump watches closely.

The news also comes after billionaire Elon Musk and others in Mr. Trump’s orbit called on Mr. Trump to dump previous frontrunner for Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, in favour of Lutnick. Elon Musk said in his post that “Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas Howard Lutnick will actually enact change.”

Published – November 20, 2024 02:29 am IST

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Trump orders space regulations eased in win for Musk

Trump chooses billionaire and key transition advisor Howard Lutnick for Commerce Secretary