US to Launch First Space Academy, Expand Lunar Ambitions

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to establish the United States' first space academy, a move designed to bolster the nation's space workforce and cultivate the next generation of leaders in space exploration. The announcement came during a visit to NASA's Mission Control in Houston, where the President also interacted with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

According to a NASA press release, the proposed academy will address the growing needs of the U.S. Space Force, the burgeoning commercial space industry, and expanded ambitions reaching "far beyond the Moon." Trump emphasized the necessity of educating and training skilled service members, engineers, and civil operators for these future endeavors.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has been appointed chair of a new Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy, with Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson serving as executive director. Isaacman outlined future plans, including returning astronauts to the lunar surface, building a Moon base, initiating nuclear power development, and fostering the orbital economy.

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Given the rapid growth of the US Space Force and commercial space industry, and the expansion of our ambitions to the Moon and far beyond the Moon, it’s clear we will need to educate and train an entire generation of skilled service members, engineers, and civil operators.

This initiative follows recent policy developments, including the National Space Transportation Policy signed on August 20, which aims to guide safe and affordable access to space. Previous actions, such as the December 2025 signing of "Ensuring American Space Superiority," set ambitious goals for lunar presence, including a return by 2028, a permanent base by 2030, and a commercial replacement for the International Space Station by the same year.

Additionally, President Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II mission crew, who recently completed a circumnavigation of the Moon, achieving the greatest distance from Earth for a manned mission. He also engaged with astronauts Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon, and Jessica Meir, part of Expedition 75 on the ISS.

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In the years ahead, we will return Nasa astronauts to the lunar surface, build the Moon Base, get underway on nuclear power, ignite the orbital economy and launch more missions of science and discovery.