in effect
Executive Order 14369, signed December 18, 2025, sets out the administration’s national space policy and directs federal agencies to take specific actions to advance U.S. leadership in space exploration, national security, and commercial space development. It establishes concrete deadlines for plans, program reviews, and policy reforms across NASA, the Department of Commerce, the State Department, and national security agencies.
The order sets a target of returning Americans to the Moon by 2028 through the Artemis Program and establishing initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030, along with a goal of launching a nuclear reactor to the lunar surface by 2030. It aims to attract at least $50 billion in additional private investment in American space markets by 2028 and directs a commercial replacement for the International Space Station by 2030. NASA and the Department of Commerce must overhaul their space acquisition processes within 180 days, giving first preference to commercial solutions and streamlined contracting methods. The order revokes the 2021 executive order that established the National Space Council and modifies a 2018 space traffic management policy to remove language guaranteeing certain space data services free of charge to users. Agencies must also identify major space programs that are more than 30 percent over cost or behind schedule and report planned fixes within 90 days.
NASA, the Department of Commerce, the State Department, and national security agencies all receive new mandates with defined deadlines for plans, strategy documents, and acquisition reforms. U.S. commercial space companies stand to be directly affected, as the order prioritizes commercial contracting pathways and sets investment and launch-cadence growth targets. International partners involved in civil space cooperation with NASA may see existing agreements reviewed, modified, or terminated if they are deemed inconsistent with the order’s priorities.