Trump signs proclamation opening solar system to American citizens

On Nov. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation declaring that the solar system and all outer space beyond Earth are open to American citizens for exploration, development, use, and permanent presence.

Trump stated in the text that the solar system and all outer space beyond Earth are the province of all humans. He said, “do hereby proclaim that the solar system and all of outer space beyond Earth are the province of all humans.” The document says the United States will lead the exploration, development, use, and settlement of space frontiers. It describes an interplanetary civilization founded on freedom and individual liberty.

The text links this leadership to national prosperity and security for centuries. It argues that the country with the strongest space science, economy, and citizens will prosper the longest. The nation with top space science, a leading space economy, and the best spacefaring citizens will enjoy centuries of prosperity. This claim is part of the administration’s argument that the United States will lead the bold endeavor of space exploration because of its scientific understanding, space economy, and spacefaring citizens.

The text links this leadership to national prosperity and security for centuries, arguing that the country with the best space science, economy, and citizens will thrive longest. The proclamation states that leadership in space determines humanity’s future. It identifies the United States as that leading nation. The text says centuries of prosperity await the country with top space science, a leading space economy, and the best spacefaring citizens.

This statement comes near the end of the document after the pledge to lead in space exploration and settlement. The nation that leads in space will shape humanity’s future, according to the text. The text says landmark actions are reinvigorating human spaceflight. It also says these steps spur a competitive commercial space industry.

The document adds that they guarantee American space superiority for all eternity. It presents these actions as part of a bold new chapter in space exploration. Americans will carry sacred values of faith and freedom on space journeys, the proclamation says. Its closing section describes the mission as solemn and righteous.

The text ties American space leadership to the future prosperity of humanity. The document calls for returning to the Moon by 2028. It sets a goal of creating a permanent American lunar presence. The text also sets a goal of sending an American to Mars.

The proclamation commits the United States to building facilities. It also commits the country to developing resources. The text adds a commitment to maintaining a lasting space presence. This presence will expand exploration, protect frontier spirit, and bolster national security for centuries.

This commitment appears after the Moon-by-2028 goal. It comes before the claim that the nation leading in space will shape humanity’s future. The proclamation cites the Apollo 11 astronauts’ first steps on the Moon. It also cites pioneering rovers that explored Mars.

The text presents these as part of America’s trailblazing legacy. It uses this history to frame the current administration’s continuation of human spaceflight and settlement goals. According to the White House text, Artemis II flew astronauts around the Moon in April. The mission took them farther from Earth than any previous human journey.

The report describes Artemis II as a crewed lunar flyby test mission. It launched from Florida in April. The spacecraft carried astronauts around the Moon farther than any human had traveled. The document says Artemis III will undertake a complex and consequential test flight campaign next summer.

The mission will include a crewed flight in low Earth orbit for two weeks around mid-summer 2027. That flight comes before lunar surface missions. Blue Origin and SpaceX are developing the Artemis III mission. The same report identifies the companies as the developers alongside the expected 2027 test flight timeline.

Jeremy Parsons, NASA‘s Artemis program manager, said Earth-orbit elements will reduce risk before returning astronauts to the Moon. He said these elements involve three spacecraft on three rockets operated together for the first time by NASA. Parsons explained that the Earth-orbit testing is meant to reduce risk before astronauts go back to the Moon. He called the three-spacecraft, three-rocket approach unprecedented for the agency.

His comments appear in coverage of Artemis III plans that describes the mission as a risk-reduction step before lunar surface return. Parsons said, “Every piece of this mission in Earth orbit is designed to reduce risk before we put astronauts back on the Moon.” An August update to the National Space Transportation Policy replaced the 2013 Obama-era policy. The new framework aims to scale capacity and support commercial activity to the Moon and Mars.

The report ties the policy update to a broader administration emphasis on accelerating lunar exploration. It also ties the update to commercializing low Earth orbit and space infrastructure. Trump pointed to an executive order from August 2025. The order aims to streamline rules and encourage competition among commercial space companies.

The administration presents the August 2025 order alongside the National Space Transportation Policy update as part of the commercial space regulatory agenda. That order told the transportation secretary to remove or speed up environmental reviews for licenses and permits covering launch and reentry. During his first term, Trump created the Space Force. He described it as the first new Armed Forces branch in over 70 years.

The report describes the Space Force as part of Trump’s first-term groundwork for U.S. space leadership. NASA announced initiatives in March to carry out Trump’s national space policy. The initiatives also aim to strengthen U.S. leadership in space. The report mentions them in the same section that discusses the administration’s national space policy and great-power competition.

Jared Isaacman, NASA’s administrator, said in March that success or failure in the great-power competition will be decided within months rather than years. His remarks connected the NASA initiatives to a timeline where success or failure comes in months. A Space Force industry notice dated Nov. 2 expressed notional interest in launching spacecraft for a Cislunar Space System operating beyond the gravitational orbit. The Nov. 2 industry notice is one of two Space Force announcements in the report.

The other is the creation of SPACEFOR-SOC. The Space Force seeks bids for five spacecraft due to launch by late 2029. Those spacecraft are to become operational by 2031. The five-spacecraft bid request is linked to the Cislunar Space System described in the Nov. 2 notice.

On Nov. 2, the Space Force created SPACEFOR-SOC, its special operations command. The command is to coordinate directly with U.S. Special Operations Command. SPACEFOR-SOC is described as the Space Force’s Special Operations Command and was established on the same date as the Cislunar notice.

Guardians will join elite special operations units based at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. The report compares Guardians joining special operations units to Army and Marine special forces, with the unit headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base.