We read the National Space Transportation Policy in full. Signed 20 August 2026, it shreds the 2013 directive and rewrites how the US gets into space, moves around up there, and comes back down.

The War Department is all over it. Launch ranges, reentry infrastructure, a clause about accommodating launches within 48 hours of need. You don't build a 48-hour capability to do science. Somebody expects to lose a satellite and need a replacement up fast.

Here's what we think stops it. Not rockets. Not pads. Demand. Most of what goes up is Starlink, everyone else crams onto rideshares, and a target of 1,000 assumes five times more reason to be up there than anyone currently has. The document is a sales pitch with the government as a customer.

We also get into the Mars carve-out and what it says about who America needs, the ISS retiring the same year and China’s plans to land on the moon.

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Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping your life. 

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Chapters

(00:00) Introduction to the US Space Transportation Policy

(03:20) US Launches in 2025 and 2026

(04:45) Private Industry and Market Demand

(06:24) International Competition and Collaboration

(07:55) Infrastructure Needs for Increased Launches

(10:00) Government Coordination and Regulatory Frameworks

(12:02) Market Opportunities and Ride-Sharing in Space

(15:13) Future Missions to Mars and Lunar Surface

(18:43) International Efforts and the Race to Mars

(20:48) Implications of the 2030 Space Goals

(23:22) Summary and Next Steps