Trump Signs Executive Order to Establish U.S. Space Academy, Targeting Moon Landing Within Term

On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reestablish the U.S. Space Academy, modeled after West Point and other military service academies, advancing his broader space agenda.

Cultivating Future Space Leaders

The academy aims to train future astronauts, engineers, and scientists to address personnel shortages in NASA's Artemis lunar program and the U.S. Space Force.

This is not the president's first move in this direction. During his first term, Trump established the U.S. Space Force as the sixth branch of the U.S. military.

Isaacman-Led Commission to Guide New Institution

An eight-member commission led by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will advise Trump on the academy's launch, which aims to cultivate "leaders with civic roots" for the space sector.

Speaking at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Trump said a decision on the academy's location would be announced "soon," hinting that Texas is a possible site.

He also pledged that the U.S. would land astronauts on the Moon in the final year of his term.

The announcement came as Trump awarded Congressional Space Medals of Honor to Artemis II crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen for their completed lunar flyby mission.

Talent Gap Threatens Moon, Mars Timelines

The push comes amid a severe talent shortage across the industry. A 2025 inspector general report found the U.S. Space Force is staffed at 25% below congressionally mandated levels.

Meanwhile, intense competition from private firms such as Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and Blue Origin, founded by Amazon.com, Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, has driven up hiring costs for small and mid-sized companies across the sector.

The move follows Trump's National Space Transportation Policy, signed on August 20, which targets increasing annual launch frequency to 1,000 by 2030.