Trump Orders Commission to Explore Creation of U.S. Space Academy

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday, August 28, 2026, creating a presidential commission tasked with developing plans for a new federal academy to prepare Americans for careers in the nation’s growing military, civilian, and commercial space sectors.

The Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy will be chaired by the NASA administrator and will advise the president on how a proposed NASA-led academy could be organized, operated, and eventually established.

Under the order, the proposed United States Space Academy would combine technical education with leadership training, discipline and an emphasis on public service. The goal is to prepare graduates for careers supporting U.S. space programs and industries, including work tied to national security, scientific exploration and commercial development.

The executive order begins the planning process rather than immediately creating the academy. Establishing and operating the school could require additional presidential approval, administrative action and legislation from Congress.

The commission will study many of the details needed to turn the proposal into an operating federal academy. Its recommendations are expected to address the academy’s governance structure, curriculum, admissions requirements and possible service obligations for graduates.

The commission will also develop a process for choosing a permanent location and consider possible pilot programs and partnerships. Its work will include recommendations on legislative and implementation strategies.

After the commission presents its recommendations, the NASA administrator will coordinate with other federal agencies to carry out proposals approved by the president, subject to any congressional action that may be required.

The administration said the academy is intended to address a growing need for workers with advanced technical skills as space becomes increasingly important to the country’s economy, national defense and scientific research.

Space programs now involve far more than government exploration missions. Satellites support communications, navigation, weather forecasting and national security operations, while private companies have taken larger roles in launching rockets, operating spacecraft and developing new technologies.

The administration argues that increased international competition makes recruiting and training skilled American workers an important part of maintaining the country’s position in space. The proposed academy would encourage students to pursue specialized technical fields, in which the administration says the United States needs more programs and graduates.

The concept would also add a new education component to a broader federal effort focused on space exploration, security, and commercial development.

Trump has made space policy a recurring part of his agenda during both of his administrations. During his first term, he pushed for the creation of the U.S. Space Force, which Congress established in 2019 as the first new branch of the U.S. military since the Air Force was established in 1947.

His first administration also issued seven Space Policy Directives covering subjects ranging from human exploration and commercial space regulation to space traffic management and cybersecurity.

One of those directives called for returning American astronauts to the Moon as part of a longer-term effort to send people to Mars. That effort became part of NASA’s Artemis program.

In April 2026, Artemis II carried astronauts around the Moon, marking the first crewed mission to lunar orbit in more than 50 years. The flight was a major step in NASA’s plans for additional lunar missions and longer-duration exploration.

The administration has also taken several space-related actions since Trump returned to office in 2025.

In August 2025, Trump signed an executive order aimed at increasing competition and reducing regulatory barriers in the commercial space industry. Another executive order, signed in December 2025, set out the administration’s broader goals for U.S. leadership in space exploration, security and commerce.

Federal agencies have continued pursuing those policies this year.

In July, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a proposed rulemaking involving environmental reviews for launch infrastructure. The administration has said that changes to federal requirements could make it easier to expand launch facilities and accelerate commercial space activity in the United States.

Trump followed that action in August with a National Security Presidential Memorandum focused on U.S. space transportation. The administration has set a goal of enabling more than 1,000 launches and reentries annually on American soil by 2030.

The proposed academy would focus on the people needed to support that expansion.

Unlike a traditional university, which is primarily focused on academic degrees, the concept outlined by the administration would connect technical education with leadership development and a commitment to government or national service. However, important questions about how that model would work remain for the presidential commission to address.

Among those questions is what obligations graduates might have after completing their education. The commission has been specifically directed to recommend possible service requirements, but the executive order does not specify what those requirements would be.

Admissions standards also remain to be developed. The commission will consider prerequisites for applicants as part of its recommendations, along with the subjects students would study and the governance structure of the institution.

The academy’s eventual home has not been selected. Instead, the commission will recommend a process to identify a permanent location, leaving communities and facilities across the country as potential candidates until more specific criteria are developed.

The commission may also identify ways for NASA and other agencies to begin pilot programs or partnerships before a permanent academy is fully established.

Congress could have an important role in what happens next. Depending on the commission’s recommendations, lawmakers may need to authorize parts of the academy, provide funding, or establish requirements for its operation.

For now, the executive order puts the federal government at the beginning of that process. The commission’s work will determine what the proposed United States Space Academy could look like, who would attend it, and how its graduates could serve the country’s expanding interests in space.