Special Report: Trump's 'Declaration of Freedom in Space' — What It Says, What It Doesn't, and the Road Back to the Moon
Signed on Election Day and published in the Federal Register on Nov. 6, the proclamation declares outer space open to American exploration, development and permanent presence. Here is the full breakdown: the key language, the legal limits, NASA's timeline to 2028 and what comes next.
By Clara Hughes
While Americans were casting midterm ballots on Nov. 3, President Trump signed a proclamation that looks much further ahead than the next election. "The American Declaration of Freedom in Space" was published in the Federal Register on Nov. 6 as Proclamation document 2026-22789 (91 FR 70767). In it, the president proclaims that "the solar system and all of outer space beyond Earth are the province of all humans and are open to exploration, development, use, and the establishment of a permanent presence by American citizens consistent with United States law and the international obligations of the United States." It is a bold statement of American ambition. It is also, as space-policy analysts were quick to note, a statement of vision rather than a funding bill. Keep reading with Altas Premium. Below: the proclamation's key lines, what it changes and what it leaves untouched, how it squares with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, NASA's Artemis timeline from the April lunar flyby to a 2028 landing — and