It took 35 years for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reach the milestone of 1,000 licensed commercial space operations, but trend lines indicate that reaching the next 1,000 will be a lot quicker.
The FAA marked the achievement in an August 2025 news release showcasing “American innovation as we push the boundaries of what’s possible in the final frontier,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Together, the FAA and NASA are working to build a safe and vibrant U.S. commercial space industry that cements America’s leadership on the global stage.”
The 1,000 operations reflect the growing importance of commercial space as an economic driver and a national security partner. The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space issues licenses and regulates commercial space launch activities, including launch and reentry of vehicles other than those owned and operated by NASA, the U.S. Space Force and other federal agencies.
The first FAA-licensed commercial space operation was in 1989. It took 32 years to reach 500 and then just four years to reach the next 500. Overall, the FAA has issued licenses to 31 commercial space operators, led by SpaceX with 516, Rocket Lab with 67, Lockheed Martin with 54, McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing) with 47, and Orbital Sciences (now part of Northrop Grumman) with 40.