President Trump signs executive order to create U.S. Space Academy
Donald Trump signed an order establishing a national Space Academy, with a commission led by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman to oversee its development and aim to train graduates for the Space Force, NASA and the civilian aerospace sector.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to create the United States' first Space Academy. The announcement was made at NASA's Johnson Space Center during a ceremony honoring the Artemis II crew. Trump described the new institution as comparable to the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy, saying it would serve the interests of the space community.
The order also creates a presidential commission to guide the academy's formation. The commission will be chaired by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman and will include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, and White House Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought.
"It’ll attract, train and graduate the very best of our nation," Trump said.
Trump indicated that graduates would be eligible for service in the U.S. Space Force, NASA and the civilian flight industry. The move follows previous initiatives, including the 2019 legislation that established the Space Force as the sixth branch of the U.S. military.
At the same event, Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four members of the Artemis II crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The crew also presented Trump with a NASA-branded flight jacket.
The announcement comes amid ongoing challenges to NASA's Artemis program, including a recent launch failure involving a private rocket and a shift in Artemis III objectives toward Earth-orbit testing rather than a lunar landing.