President Looks to Build America’s Space Workforce

President Donald Trump is moving to establish a United States Space Academy, envisioning a new federal institution that would train the next generation of Americans to explore, develop and defend the increasingly important space domain.

“Space is a critical domain for American national security, economic growth, scientific discovery, and technological innovation,” Trump said in an executive order establishing a presidential commission to develop the academy.

The proposed NASA-led institution would combine technical education with leadership development, discipline and a commitment to public service, creating what the order calls a professional corps prepared to advance U.S. interests in space.

“American superiority in space depends on the strength, skill, and character of those who explore, secure, and build the industries critical to it,” Trump said.

The academy could educate astronauts, scientists, engineers, operators, entrepreneurs, civil servants and military personnel as competition in space intensifies.

“To continue to lead the world in space exploration and technology, while securing and defending our national interests in space, the Nation must prepare the next generation,” the president said.

NASA’s administrator will chair the new Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy, which will include senior White House, defense, budget and Air Force officials.

Within 120 days, the commission must recommend how the academy should be structured, what degrees and training it should offer, admission requirements and possible service obligations for graduates. It will also develop a process for selecting a permanent physical location.

The commission must examine whether the academy should operate directly within NASA and identify any congressional action necessary to create it.

Trump said the goal is to “recruit, train, and retain America’s best and brightest from across the Nation.”

The order does not immediately create a campus or begin admitting students. Instead, it launches the process of designing an academy intended to provide a long-term pipeline of highly trained Americans for the country’s civilian, commercial and national-security space programs.