Trump orders Space Academy to train military and civilian crews

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday creating a U.S. Space Academy, a new institution modeled after West Point and other service academies. Trump signed the order alongside NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman during a visit to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he also awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four Artemis II crew members.

The academy would train both military and civilian space personnel, building on Trump's space agenda. Trump launched the U.S. Space Force as a sixth military branch during his first term and has pledged astronauts will land on the moon during his final year in office.

An eight-member commission led by Isaacman will advise the president on launching the institution. Trump's proclamation said the academy would "develop a professional corps of civically grounded leaders prepared to advance American interests within the space domain." Speaking in Houston, Trump said he would choose the location "very shortly" and hinted that the Texas congressional delegation wanted the institution in the state.

"A nation cannot be first on Earth if we're going to be second in space," Trump said during the ceremony. The Artemis II crew. Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, spent more than nine days in space, circumnavigating the moon and traveling deeper than any humans before.

The multibillion-dollar U.S. moon program, Artemis, targets its first astronaut landing in 2028 using SpaceX's Starship rocket system. That rocket's development has been delayed, risking the timeline. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has a lander under development that might meet the 2028 deadline instead. China is aiming for its own crewed moon landing around 2030 and both countries seek a long-term presence at the lunar south pole, where water ice could be used for fuel.

Trump added that the U.S. would launch a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars in 2028 as a gateway to broader interplanetary travel. Isaacman said the missions would "inspire the next generation to carry the fire of exploration even further." Trump's order said implementing those goals requires new institutions to recruit and train future astronauts, engineers and scientists.

It is unclear how logistics for the academy, building the campus, creating programming and recruiting students, would work. Funding requires congressional approval.

Space Force officer candidates are generally commissioned through the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, also has graduates who became astronauts.

"You think of West Point, and you think of Annapolis, and you think of the Air Force Academy, and you think of the Coast Guard Academy. They're all good," Trump said. "But we're going to have now the Space Force Academy for what the people in this room love the most."

U.S. space companies have struggled to attract new talent as the industry expands, with demand for spacecraft services and rocket launches soaring. SpaceX and Blue Origin have ramped up competition, driving up hiring costs for smaller companies, analysts say. The U.S. Space Force's workforce is 25% lower than what Congress requires, according to a 2025 watchdog report.