Trump signs memo to help drastically boost US commercial space launches

WASHINGTON, Aug 20 : U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a memo to help drastically increase the number of U.S. commercial space launches, including directing government agencies to look at federal land for new launch and re-entry sites.The White House wants to enable at least 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030, up from 178 launches last year - a figure that is already 10 times higher than in 2013 and dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. The memo, focused on boosting the commercial space industry, called on agencies to incentivize co-development of space transportation infrastructure with private sector partners, expedite permitting and environmental reviews and ensure adequate wireless spectrum for space launches.Trump ​also wants to return U.S. astronauts to ​the moon