Trump Signs Order to Create Space Academy

President Trump signed an executive order Friday creating the U.S. Space Academy, a new institution modeled on West Point. He announced it during a visit to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

• The academy will train Space Force members, engineers, and civilian NASA and commercial space workers.
• Trump cited rapid Space Force growth and expanded lunar and deep-space ambitions as the reason.
• Trump awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew at the same event.
• NASA has begun work on what Trump called the first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft, set to launch toward Mars in 2028.

Why it matters: The Space Force, established in 2019, has no dedicated training academy. The new institution would fill that gap while also preparing civilian workers for NASA and private space companies.

How 36 sources split on this story

What’s next: Trump said a location will be chosen 'very shortly' but provided no further specifics.

• Trump also planned to become the first president to call astronauts on the ISS from Mission Control.
• Where will the Space Academy be located, and how will it be funded?
• How will the academy's civilian training track differ from existing NASA and industry programs?