HTK: Space Launch Capacity and Contenders

On August 20, 2026, President Trump signed The National Space Transportation Policy presidential memorandum, which sets a target of enabling over 1,000 space launches and reentries annually by 2030 through expanded launch infrastructure and industrial base capacity. The same week, Chinese launch startup LandSpace achieved its first successful booster recovery. That milestone came just weeks after China’s first successful recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster, when the state-owned Long March 10B system was recovered on its maiden flight. Space is an increasingly important domain of great power competition, and robust launch capabilities will be essential to realizing its full economic and national security potential.  

What does the presidential memorandum mean for the U.S. space launch sector and what could it unlock? What is the significance of China’s booster recovery milestones, and what do they signal about the nation’s ambitions? What are the challenges and opportunities facing the launch industry, from launch capacity and infrastructure modernization, to supply chain resilience, and to competitiveness and exportability? To discuss these questions and more, please join the CSIS Defense and Security Department’s HTK Series for a conversation featuring Kari Bingen, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project, Tom Karako, director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project, and Heather Williams, director of the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues.  

This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.