美国总统特朗普签署一项行政令，旨在放松对商业航天公司发射活动的环保规定。此举意在“提升美国在太空的伟大”，通过简化美国本土航天公司的许可审批流程，并“消除或加速”发射和重返许可的环境审查及其他障碍。未来，SpaceX等公司可能无需过于担忧火箭发射对环境的影响。目前，私营航天公司发射前需获得美国交通部联邦航空管理局（FAA）的许可，FAA会根据《国家环境政策法案》（NEPA）进行环境评估，涵盖空气质量、噪音、水资源、生物资源等14个类别。新规将可能移除这些考量，以期到2030年显著增加火箭发射的频率和新型太空活动的开展。然而，此举引发担忧，因部分公司如SpaceX此前已被指控违反环保规定，向周边环境排放工业废水。

🚀 **简化审批，推动商业航天发展**：特朗普总统签署的行政令旨在通过“简化”美国本土航天公司的许可审批流程，并“消除或加速”发射和重返许可的环境审查及其他障碍，以“提升美国在太空的伟大”并促进其竞争力的太空发射产业，目标是到2030年显著增加火箭发射的频率和新型太空活动的开展。

⚖️ **放松环境评估，引发担忧**：该行政令可能意味着私营航天公司在申请发射许可时，将不再需要像以往那样严格考虑环境影响。目前，FAA会根据《国家环境政策法案》（NEPA）对发射活动进行全面的环境评估，包括空气质量、噪音、水资源、生物资源等多个方面。新规的放松可能导致这些考量被移除。

⚠️ **部分公司环保记录堪忧**：放松环境评估的举措尤其令人担忧，因为一些公司此前并未严格遵守现有规定。例如，埃隆·马斯克的SpaceX因向周边环境排放大量工业废水，违反了环保法规，去年曾被罚款15万美元，其德克萨斯发射场地的活动也被指控破坏周边环境和威胁濒危鸟类栖息地。

🌌 **界定“新型太空活动”**：行政令将“新型太空活动”定义为不直接属于现有美国监管体系的私营任务，例如商业载人航天、太空采矿或制造、以及轨道碎片清除等，这些活动也可能在新规下享受环境审查的简化。

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at dismantling environmental protection rules for commercial space companies. It seems that SpaceX and Blue Origin might not have to consider the environmental impact of their rocket launches so heavily in the future.

Signed on Wednesday, the purpose of Trump's executive order is ostensibly to "enhance American greatness in space" by bolstering its competitive space launch industry. Specifically, the government will "streamline" permit approvals for U.S.-based space companies, and "eliminate or expedite… environmental reviews for, and other obstacles to the granting of, launch and reentry licenses and permits."

Currently, private space companies are required to obtain a license from the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before any launch or reentry carried out within the country or by a citizen. As part of this process, the FAA conducts an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

This assessment considers the proposed activity's environmental impact across 14 categories, including air quality, noise, hazardous materials or pollution, water resources, and biological resources such as plants and wildlife. Socioeconomic concerns, issues of environmental justice, and risks to children's environmental health and safety are also evaluated.

Under the new executive order, such considerations may soon be removed from the private space flight approval process. Trump stated that eliminating regulations is intended to "significantly" increase the regularity of both rocket launches and novel space activities by 2030. 

Novel space activities are private missions that do not directly fall under the current U.S. regulatory system. Said system only addresses private remote-sensing systems, launch and reentry, and non-federal use of the radio frequency spectrum. As such, activities such as commercial human spaceflight, mining or manufacturing in space, and the removal of orbital debris are all considered novel.

The elimination of environmental considerations when issuing rocket launch licenses is particularly concerning considering that some companies haven't strictly adhered to the regulations that are in place. Elon Musk's SpaceX has faced significant criticism from environmentalists, who claim that activities at its Texas launch site are destroying its surroundings and damaging the nests of vulnerable shorebirds. The multi-billion dollar company was fined just $150,000 last year after it violated environmental regulations by flooding the surrounding environment with thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater.