Incoming US policymakers must slash regulatory red tape and boost investment in commercial space tech, according to recommendations made by a top federally funded research and development center.

The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy & Strategy released Space Agenda 2025, a series of 16 papers that call for lawmakers to take action on policy, commercial, and national security challenges facing the US in space today.

At risk: The report claims that the complex regulatory environment is hampering innovation and growth in the commercial space sector, enabling other countries to catch up with, or even surpass, the US.