US to get new NASA-led space academy, Trump signs order: What’s it all about? Explained | Today’s news
In a major boost to US space ambitions, President Donald Trump announced on Friday the creation of a new national military academy – the US Space Academy. In a speech at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Trump said that just as there is an Air Force and a Coast Guard Academy, the US will now have a “space force.”
“Today I have another historic announcement to make. With the rapid growth of the space force, the expansion of our ambitions to the moon, far beyond the moon… It is clear that we must educate and train an entire generation of skilled service members, engineers and civilian operators…,” Trump said.
In honoring the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four-man crew of the Artemis II spacecraft that orbited the moon earlier this year, a flight that is helping to set the stage for the 2028 moon landing.
“I’m going to sign an executive order to begin the process of creating a new national academy. It’s called the US Space Academy,” Trump told astronauts and NASA employees gathered to hear him speak.
“That’s a big deal. So 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 academies. Great, they’re all great. But now we’re going to have the Space Force. We’re going to have an academy for what people in this room love the most,” Trump announced.
Notably, Space Force officer candidates are usually commissioned at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, also has a long tradition of its graduates becoming astronauts.
After his speech at the Johnson Space Center, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order creating a “Presidential Commission” to begin the process of establishing a new federal academy that will “prepare the next generation of Americans to advance our nation’s interests in space.”
What do we know about America’s new space academy?
The U.S. Space Academy is a proposed NASA-led federal academy dedicated to combining rigorous technical education with leadership development, discipline and an ongoing commitment to public service, according to a fact sheet issued by the U.S. government on Friday.
The president said the space academy “will serve both the United States Space Force, NASA and the civilian spaceflight industry.”
It will prepare graduates for careers supporting the U.S. military, civilian, and broader space enterprise.
According to Ars Technica, the goal is to create a premier educational institution with free tuition and, in return, graduates to fulfill a multi-year service commitment.
Graduates will reportedly have a choice of joining the US Space Force, but most of the slots will be assigned to NASA and civilian positions, people familiar with the project told Ars Technica.
Trump signed the United States Space Force into law in 2019. It was established on December 20, 2019, creating the first new branch of the armed services since 1947.
Trump has participated in several NASA launches and now aims to return Americans to the moon and eventually reach Mars. He promised that the US would land astronauts on the moon during his last year in office.
Here are the key points from the fact sheet:
1. What is a Presidential Commission?
The executive order establishes a “President’s Commission” on the United States Space Academy, chaired by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
According to orderthe Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST) and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy (APEP) will serve as Vice Chairs of the Commission. NASA’s Deputy Administrator will serve as Executive Director.
The following officials or their representatives will be on the commission:
(i) the Minister of War;
(ii) Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff;
(iii) Director of the Office of Management and Budget;
(iv) Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs;
(v) Minister of Air Force; and
(vi) other full-time or part-time employees of the Federal Government invited to join the Commission, at the discretion of the Chairperson and in consultation with the Vice-Chairpersons.
The Commission will advise and assist the President in establishing a United States Space Academy.
Makes recommendations to the President on various details of the Academy, including proposals regarding the governance framework, curricula, alumni service obligations, applicant prerequisites, the tenure selection process, administrative actions for pilot programs and partnerships, legislative strategy, and implementation strategy.
The Administrator of NASA, in coordination with the appropriate agencies, shall implement the approved recommendations of the Commission upon approval by the President and after all necessary legislative action.
2. Where will this US Space Academy be located?
The Trump administration has not yet chosen a site for the academy, but according to CBS News, Trump said Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is lobbying for Texas.
“I will pick a location very soon,” Trump said. “I know where some people in this audience want it. Some people over there on that one guy. They’re lobbying. Say, ‘Leave me alone, leave me alone.’ I’m not sure he’ll get it. I don’t know if he gets it. But everyone wants it because it’s hot stuff. Space is the hottest thing,” he added, according to the report.
“Just leave me alone, Ted, please, leave me alone,” he joked.
It is unclear what approach the civilian spaceflight industry will have to the federal academy.
3. Who will fund the US Space Academy?
It’s unclear how the logistics for a space academy — including building a campus, creating programming and recruiting students — would work. Funding would have to be approved by Congress, which is historically deadlocked, Reuters reported.
4. Why is the US Space Academy needed?
In its fact sheet, the White House highlighted the ever-increasing competition in the space sector.
He notes that “the United States must recruit, train, and retain America’s best and brightest to maintain leadership in exploration and technology while securing and defending our national interests.”
The fact sheet also said the Academy will encourage and guide the next generation of Americans to pursue high-tech fields that “currently lack the programs and graduates needed to maintain America’s preeminence in space.”
