Houston, August 29: President Donald Trump has announced the establishment of the first U.S. Space Academy to prepare a new generation of space professionals for missions to the Moon and beyond. During a speech at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, he emphasized the need for skilled service members, engineers, and civil operators in light of the rapid growth of the U.S. Space Force and the commercial space industry.
To initiate this process, Trump signed an executive order to create a commission dedicated to designing the National Academy, which will be known as the U.S. Space Academy.
During the signing ceremony, he awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four members of the Artemis-2 mission. This order establishes a presidential commission for the United States Space Academy. The proposed federally funded institution, led by NASA, will combine technical education with leadership training, discipline, and public service.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will head this commission, while NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will serve as the executive director. The panel has 120 days to recommend governance structures, curriculum, admission requirements, graduate service obligations, and a permanent location. It will also address pilot programs, partnerships, legislation, and implementation.
Trump stated that this institution should be on par with America’s established service academies. In a call with astronauts aboard the International Space Station, he remarked, “Whether it’s West Point, Annapolis, or the Coast Guard Academy, we are going to create an academy for your people that everyone in this room will be excited about, and it will be at that level.”
He reiterated the importance of high standards, saying, “If we are going to do this, it must be at a very high level. These are some of the toughest schools in the country. I would say almost at the top, and that’s what we want.”
The President also highlighted NASA astronaut Anil Menon, who is the son of Indian and Ukrainian immigrants, along with Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, referring to them as “great Americans, great patriots, brave people.”
Colonel Menon, who serves in the U.S. Space Force, welcomed the initiative, expressing pride in serving in the largest domain. He shared his recent experience of a spacewalk and expressed excitement about America paving the way for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Trump invited the crew to visit the Oval Office upon their return to Earth.
At the Houston ceremony, Trump honored NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Their Artemis II mission launched on April 1 and splashed down after a lunar flyby on April 10. According to NASA, the crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, more than any previous human, and covered a total distance of 695,081 miles. They were the first recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor since 2023.
Trump established the U.S. Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed services in December 2019. The new academy is envisioned as a NASA-led federal institution that will address military, civilian, and commercial space needs.
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