In September, a U.S. judge rejected a lawsuit by conservation groups challenging the FAA's approval in 2022 of expanded SpaceX rocket launch operations next to a national wildlife refuge in South Texas.
The groups said noise, light pollution, construction and road traffic degrade the area, home to endangered ocelots and jaguarundis, as well as nesting sites for endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles and threatened shorebirds.
Current review process and industry complaints
The FAA, part of the Transportation Department, currently has 180 days to review a completed license application. But compiling a full application can be a lengthy process, and there are consultations and reviews both before and after the FAA's decision phase.
According to industry data platform SpaceNexus, a license application for a new operator or new vehicle can realistically take 36 months for approval.
"Applicants face pointless, time-consuming requirements and expenses preparing environmental studies and providing information for overlapping reviews from multiple federal agencies. These duplicative processes create needless delays for near-term launch operations," the Transportation Department said in a statement on Tuesday.
Record commercial space activity and policy backdrop
The FAA authorized a record 204 commercial space operations in 2025. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in May that SpaceX aims to reach 10,000 launches annually within five years.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in August 2025 to speed up the licensing process, similar to decades-old guidance from Congress.
In its proposed rule, the FAA, which regulates the sector because commercial rockets share airspace with planes, raised the possibility of exempting spacecraft launch and reentry operations from some requirements under the 13 laws.
FAA proposes faster licensing for commercial space missions
The U.S. aviation regulator on Tuesday proposed new rules to speed up approval of commercial space missions like SpaceX's SPCX.O rocket and satellite launches by no longer requiring them to follow provisions of 13 environmental and other laws.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday said its proposed rule would allow the agency to waive requirements under laws including the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and Clean Air Act in a bid "to simplify and expedite commercial space licensing."
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