Space Industry Association Leadership: Policy Advocacy and Regulatory Reform

Creating a Playbook from the Regulatory Maze: Why Associations Matter Now

By mid-2025, U.S. commercial space operators found themselves staring at a new kind of launch window: not just pad availability, but a cascade of deadlines triggered by Executive Order 14335, sweeping FCC licensing proposals, and shifting NASA partnership models. The question in many boardrooms wasn’t only whether vehicles and payloads would be ready, but whether regulatory pathways would keep pace with ambitious manifests.

Executive Order 14335, signed in August 2025, directs multiple agencies to streamline environmental reviews, align spaceport approval processes, and create clearer authorization regimes for novel space activities, with explicit timelines and coordination mandates. In parallel, the FCC has proposed a generational overhaul that would replace legacy Part 25 rules with a new framework intended to function as a licensing “assembly line” for satellites and earth stations.

In this environment, trade associations and business councils have become de facto navigators, translating dense executive orders, megarulemakings, and agency MOUs into practical guidance and advocacy agendas for their member companies. Their leadership choices, issue priorities, and behind-the-scenes engagement can materially influence how fast and predictably operators secure launch, spectrum, and mission approvals.