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Trump signs executive order to establish U.S. Space Academy

The order directs a commission to deliver plans within 120 days for a national academy serving military, civilian, and commercial space sectors.

Updated Aug 28, 2026 · 19:23 UTC11 reports

The short version

  • President Donald Trump signed an executive order initiating the creation of a national U.S. Space Academy.
  • A commission chaired by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will submit recommendations on the academy's framework, service obligations, and location within 120 days.
  • The institutional setup remains undefined, with space officials noting it will operate under NASA while serving the U.S. Space Force, NASA, and commercial industries.
  • During the Houston event, Trump also awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four-person Artemis II crew.

Key facts

  • President Trump signed an executive order establishing a commission to create the U.S. Space Academy during a visit to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.[NASA News · The Hill]
  • NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will chair the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy, which must submit a report within 120 days recommending governance, physical location, and service obligations.[NASA News · The Hill]
  • Space officials indicated the proposed academy would fall under NASA's jurisdiction and is not intended to operate as a traditional armed forces service academy.[Ars Technica]
  • The academy is intended to educate service members, engineers, and civil operators for the Space Force, NASA, and the commercial spaceflight industry.[NBC News · CBS News]
  • Trump awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen for their April lunar flyby mission.[NASA News · The Hill]

What remains uncertain

  • The physical location of the academy has not been selected, though Texas Senator Ted Cruz is actively lobbying for it to be placed in Texas.[CBS News · The Hill]
  • It remains unspecified what exact level of access or participation the commercial space industry will have in the federal academy.[CBS News]

Sources