Draft EU Space Act advancing
The U.S. Office of Space Commerce reported on 2 April 2026 that updated Council “compromise” text was released on 30 March 2026 and that the Council Legal Service also issued an opinion on the proposal, marking a significant legislative phase for the file.
The same Office of Space Commerce update states that the U.S. Department of Commerce, State Department, and other U.S. government colleagues are reviewing the updated EU Space Act text, showing that the proposal has direct transatlantic market-access relevance rather than being purely internal EU legislation.
https://space.commerce.gov/eu-space-act-update-april-2026/
https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space-act_en
FAA commercial space licensing has now fully shifted to Part 450
According to the FAA, all launch and reentry licensing now occurs under one consolidated framework that reduces licensing actions and allows one licence to cover portfolios of operations, different vehicle configurations, mission profiles, and multiple sites.
The FAA also said operators transitioning by the 9 March 2026 deadline included Blue Origin, Firefly, SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and United Launch Alliance, making Part 450 a concrete benchmark for comparative analysis as Europe debates proportionality and competitiveness in the proposed EU Space Act.
https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-streamlines-commercial-space-license-approvals
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