Trump Proclaims Outer Space “the Province of All Humans” as Space Force Seeks Up to 5 Cislunar Satellites

NASA's Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B on April 1, 2026 (file photo). Photo: NASA/Sam Lott, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

President Donald Trump on Nov. 3 issued “The American Declaration of Freedom in Space,” a proclamation declaring 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,” the White House said. The proclamation says the United States will return to the moon by 2028 and lay the foundation for a permanent American lunar presence.

Key figures: 2028 year the proclamation sets for a return to the moon · 5 cislunar satellites in the space force request · Nov. 24 deadline for industry responses

The proclamation cites the Artemis II mission, which carried astronauts around the moon in April, and says Artemis III will undertake “one of the most complex and consequential test flight campaigns” in the history of the U.S. space program next summer. “The nation that leads in space will shape the future of humanity — and that nation will be the United States of America,” it says, pledging to build facilities, develop resources and “strengthen our national security for centuries to come.”

How it compares with the Outer Space Treaty

The proclamation uses language close to, but not the same as, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the founding document of international space law. Article I of the treaty says exploration and use of outer space “shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries” and “shall be the province of all mankind,” according to the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs. Article II says outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, “is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.” Article VI makes states responsible for national activities in space, including those of non-governmental entities. The proclamation does not mention the treaty by name, but it frames any permanent American presence as “consistent with” U.S. law and the country’s international obligations.

Space Force wants cislunar satellites by 2029

The Space Force is considering launching up to five satellites into cislunar space, the region extending from Earth out to and including the moon, as soon as 2029, Yahoo News reported, citing Air & Space Forces Magazine. In a Nov. 2 request for information, the service said it is “notionally interested” in the launches; the satellites would be ready to launch by late 2029 and begin initial operations by 2031. Industry responses are due Nov. 24, and the Department of the Air Force intends to award up to five fixed-price preliminary design study contracts after reviewing them. The notice says the plan is not a commitment and does not guarantee a contract.

Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the Space Force’s portfolio acquisition executive for advanced programs, cited China’s plans for sustained activity on the moon. “This is about getting capability out soon,” he said in October, according to the magazine. China plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030. Cislunar space has a volume 1,728 times that of geosynchronous orbit, and the Space Force opened a Cislunar Coordination Office in April. TBR’s earlier coverage of the cislunar race is in our Oct. 30 space war report.

Space Force joins Special Operations Command

The Space Force on Nov. 2 activated Space Forces Special Operations Command, or SPACEFOR-SOC, as a component of U.S. Special Operations Command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, Military Times reported. Commanded by Col. Peter “Charlie” Norsky, it is the first new service component in USSOCOM since 2006 and will sit alongside the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps special operations components. Guardians in the component are assigned to Space Special Warfare Teams, small modular teams of space, cyber and intelligence experts.

“When special operators go into harm’s way, they do so with the confidence that the Space Force is securing the ultimate high ground to enable the Joint fight,” said Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess. USSOCOM commander Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley said the activation “provides an enduring and accountable way to integrate space power into special operations.”

Launches to watch

Three classified national security missions are scheduled on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to Launch Library 2: USSF-432 on Nov. 6 at 7:46 p.m. ET, USSF-627 on Nov. 9 at 10:03 p.m. ET and USSF-317 on Nov. 12 at 11:23 p.m. ET. China plans a Long March 2C launch with an unidentified payload from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Nov. 5 at about 11 a.m. ET. The USSF-432 delay was covered in our Nov. 1 space war report. On the Korean Peninsula, North Korea fired more missiles on Wednesday, as reported in our Indo-Pacific report.

Watch for international reaction to the proclamation, any NASA timeline for a 2028 landing and the Space Force’s next step after the Nov. 24 deadline.

Sources

• The White House: The American Declaration of Freedom in Space
• UN Office for Outer Space Affairs: Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space (Outer Space Treaty)
• Yahoo News: US Space Force eyes launching five cislunar satellites to boost lunar operations
• Military Times: Space Force officially activates Special Operations Command component
• Launch Library 2: Upcoming launches

Additional sources

• SpacePolicyOnline.com: What's Happening in Space Policy November 1-8, 2026