SpaceX, Blue Origin Could Get Faster Launch Approvals Under FAA's Sweeping Proposal

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a series of changes designed to accelerate commercial space mission approvals for launch providers like Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) and Blue Origin.

FAA Proposal Circumvents 13 Federal Laws

According to a report by Reuters, the agency proposed rules on Tuesday that would streamline commercial space licensing by allowing regulators to waive specific environmental and administrative requirements stemming from 13 federal laws.

The exempted statutes could include the Endangered Species Act, sections of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act, the report said. The agency said that the move aims to “simplify and expedite” commercial space licensing.

Under current FAA rules, commercial space license reviews typically take up to 180 days, with some full environmental assessments extending up to 36 months, the report said.

SpaceX Launches, Amazon LEO Seeks FCC Nod

The move comes as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that the commercial space flight company had successfully conducted the 13th flight test for the Starship rocket, also outlining that the company had intentionally accelerated the launch to test the rocket’s heat shields.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has also backed SpaceX as an integral part of the U.S.’s space ambitions, including setting up a permanent base on the Lunar surface. Isaacman also said that AI compute satellites will be a thing.

Meanwhile, Amazon.com Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:AMZN) wrote to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), seeking to launch over 5,100 Leo satellites, with the deployment of its Direct-to-Device (D2D) service set for 2028.

The President Donald Trump administration also announced that SpaceX’s Starlink routers were exempt from the FCC’s restrictions on foreign routers.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by a Benzinga editor.

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