Presidential DocumentExecutive Order 143692025-23845
Ensuring American Space Superiority
Primary source
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Published
December 23, 2025
Signed
December 18, 2025
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 244 (Tuesday, December 23, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 23, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 60537-60540]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23845]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 244 / Tuesday, December 23, 2025 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 60537]]
Executive Order 14369 of December 18, 2025
Ensuring American Space Superiority
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. Superiority in space is a measure
of national vision and willpower, and the technologies
Americans develop to achieve it contribute
substantially to the Nation's strength, security, and
prosperity. The United States must therefore pursue a
space policy that will extend the reach of human
discovery, secure the Nation's vital economic and
security interests, unleash commercial development, and
lay the foundation for a new space age.
Sec. 2. Policy. My Administration will focus its space
policy on achieving the following priorities:
(a) Leading the world in space exploration and
expanding human reach and American presence in space
by:
(i) returning Americans to the Moon by 2028 through the Artemis Program, to
assert American leadership in space, lay the foundations for lunar economic
development, prepare for the journey to Mars, and inspire the next
generation of American explorers;
(ii) establishing initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030 to
ensure a sustained American presence in space and enable the next steps in
Mars exploration; and
(iii) enhancing sustainability and cost-effectiveness of launch and
exploration architectures, including enabling commercial launch services
and prioritizing lunar exploration;
(b) Securing and defending American vital national
and economic security interests in, from, and to space
by:
(i) developing and demonstrating prototype next-generation missile defense
technologies by 2028 to progressively and materially enhance America's air
and missile defenses pursuant to Executive Order 14186 of January 27, 2025
(The Iron Dome for America);
(ii) ensuring the ability to detect, characterize, and counter threats to
United States space interests from very low-Earth orbit and through
cislunar space, including any placement of nuclear weapons in space;
(iii) creating a responsive and adaptive national security space
architecture by accelerating acquisition reform, integrating commercial
space capabilities, and enabling new market entrants; and
(iv) strengthening ally and partner contributions to United States and
collective space security, including through increased space security
spending, operational cooperation, basing agreements, and ally and partner
investments in America's space industrial base;
(c) Growing a vibrant commercial space economy
through the power of American free enterprise by:
(i) fostering economic growth, attracting at least $50 billion of
additional investment in American space markets by 2028, and increasing
launch and reentry cadence through new and upgraded facilities, improved
efficiency, and policy reforms;
[[Page 60538]]
(ii) demonstrating spectrum leadership across space applications to promote
United States technology competitiveness, spectrum management efficiency,
and global market access; and
(iii) spurring private sector initiative and a commercial pathway to
replace the International Space Station by 2030; and
(d) Developing and deploying advanced capabilities
and approaches to enable the next century of space
achievements by:
(i) optimizing space research-and-development investments to achieve my
Administration's near-term space objectives, use emerging technologies and
scientific discoveries to advance mission capabilities, and enable
scientific discovery for America's long-term science and technology
leadership;
(ii) enabling near-term utilization of space nuclear power by deploying
nuclear reactors on the Moon and in orbit, including a lunar surface
reactor ready for launch by 2030;
(iii) improving high-value space and Earth weather forecasting and
operations to meet needs on Earth and beyond, utilizing improved business
approaches such as firm fixed-price contracts and as-a-service models for
both space and ground-based segments;
(iv) enabling the sustainability of space operations through effective and
responsible approaches to space traffic management; orbital debris
mitigation and remediation; and terrestrial and cislunar positioning,
navigation, and timing, including by establishing the United States as the
standards and services leader in these areas; and
(v) establishing ground, space, and lunar infrastructure and standards that
enable implementation of space priorities and a robust space industrial
base.
Sec. 3. Implementation. (a) The Assistant to the
President for Science and Technology (APST) shall
coordinate the overall implementation of this order,
including:
(i) within 60 days of the date of this order, issuing guidance on
establishing a National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power to
achieve the nuclear power policy priorities directed in this order, in
coordination with the heads of relevant executive departments and agencies
(agencies) identified by the APST; and
(ii) within 120 days of the date of this order, propose revisions to
Presidential Policy Directive 26 of November 21, 2013 (National Space
Transportation Policy), to support implementation of this order.
(b) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the
APST shall coordinate development of and integrate into
one submission to the President the following:
(i) a plan from the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), in coordination with the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and the Assistant to the President for Domestic
Policy (APDP), for achieving the policy objectives in this order regarding
leading the world in space exploration and expanding human reach and
American presence in space, including plans for mitigating any technology,
supply chain, or industrial capacity gaps relevant to achieving those goals
within available funding;
(ii) the results of comprehensive reviews by the Secretary of Commerce and
the Administrator of NASA, in consultation with the Director of OMB, of
their respective major space acquisition programs to identify any such
programs that are more than 30 percent behind schedule based on the
program's acquisition baseline, 30 percent over cost based on the program's
baseline, unable to meet any key performance parameters, or unaligned with
the priorities in this order, along with a description of their planned
mitigation or remediation efforts; and
[[Page 60539]]
(iii) a report from the Secretary of War, in coordination with the Director
of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Assistant to the President for
National Security Affairs (APNSA), of any technology, supply chain, or
industrial capacity gaps relevant to this order's directive to
progressively and materially enhance America's air and missile defenses,
and plans for mitigating such gaps within available funding.
(c) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Commerce and the Administrator of NASA
shall each reform their respective agency's space
acquisition processes to support the space priorities
in this order, and to further Executive Order 14271 of
April 15, 2025 (Ensuring Commercial, Cost-Effective
Solutions in Federal Contracts). These reforms shall
incorporate the following:
(i) use of existing authorities to improve efficiency and expedite space
acquisitions, including a first preference for commercial solutions and a
general preference for Other Transactions Authority or Space Act
Agreements, customary commercial terms, or any other pathways to promote
effective or streamlined acquisitions;
(ii) a detailed review of each functional support role within the agency's
Federal and contract workforce, to eliminate unnecessary tasks, reduce
duplication, and accelerate decision-making;
(iii) for the Department of Commerce, strengthening capabilities for
conducting space acquisition and sustainment activities in a manner that
supports collaboration with, but does not require acquisition assistance
from, NASA, including by recommending legislative reforms as necessary; and
(iv) for NASA, aligning space-focused acquisition and procurement processes
across NASA centers and activities to improve efficiency.
(d) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
APNSA shall, in coordination with the Secretary of War,
the DNI, the APST, and the heads of other relevant
agencies:
(i) implement a space security strategy that accounts for United States
interests in, from, and to space; addresses current and projected threats
to United States space interests from very low-Earth orbit through cislunar
space; and incorporates a technology plan for detecting, characterizing,
and countering potential adversary placement of nuclear weapons in space;
and
(ii) implement a plan for a responsive and adaptive national security space
architecture to support the space security strategy and other relevant
priorities established in this order.
(e) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary
of War and the DNI, shall implement a plan to
strengthen ally and partner contributions to United
States and collective space security.
(f) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Commerce shall coordinate with the APST,
the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the
APDP, and the heads of relevant agencies to assert
spectrum leadership, which shall include considering
opportunities for reapportioning and sharing spectrum,
as appropriate.
(g) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
Administrator of NASA, in coordination with the
Secretary of State and the APST, shall ensure that
international civil space cooperation arrangements
involving NASA support the policy priorities in this
order, including by initiating new arrangements and
modifying or terminating existing arrangements where
appropriate and consistent with existing authorities
and legal obligations.
Sec. 4. Rescission. (a) This order supersedes Executive
Order 14056 of December 1, 2021 (The National Space
Council), which is hereby revoked.
(b) Space Policy Directive 3 of June 18, 2018
(National Space Traffic Management Policy), is hereby
revised as follows:
[[Page 60540]]
(i) by replacing ``free of direct user fees'' with ``for commercial and
other relevant use'' in subsections 3(b) and 4(d); and
(ii) by replacing ``provided free of direct user fees'' with ``available
for commercial and other relevant use'' in subsections 5(a)(ii) and
5(b)(ii).
(c) To the extent this order is inconsistent with
any provision of any previous Executive Order,
Presidential Memorandum, or Presidential Directive,
this order shall control.
Sec. 5. Definitions. (a) The term ``commercial
solutions'' means any of the methods for procurement of
a commercial product or service described in part 12 of
the Federal Acquisition Regulation, or other industry
solutions funded by private investment that meet agency
needs.
(b) The term ``Other Transactions Authority'' means
the ability of the United States Government to enter
into contracts other than standard contracts, grants,
or cooperative agreements.
Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary,
administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.
(d) The costs for publication of this order shall
be borne by the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 18, 2025.
[FR Doc. 2025-23845
Filed 12-22-25; 11:15 am]
Billing code 7510-13-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 23, 2025.
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