President Trump has ordered the creation of a national academy to train America’s future space workforce, directing a new presidential commission to design it.
He signed the executive order at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, during the ceremony at which the Artemis II crew received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
“Given the rapid growth of the U.S. 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,” Trump declared.
Not your average alma mater
The order describes the United States Space Academy as a proposed NASA-led federal academy that would combine rigorous technical education with leadership development, discipline, and a commitment to public service. It is intended to prepare graduates to support the U.S. Space Force, NASA, and other civil space efforts and the broader commercial space enterprise.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is set to chair the presidential commission that will design the academy, working alongside Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson, who will serve as executive director. Michael Kratsios and Kevin Hassett, both already advising the president on science and economic policy, will sit as vice chairs with additional White House and agency officials rounding out the commission.
“President Trump’s vision for a new academy is a transformational step to educate the engineers, scientists, technicians, operators, and even the astronauts who will be necessary for the inspiring future we are pursuing in space,” Isaacman said in a statement.
While the White House and NASA presented the order as a long-term investment in the space workforce, some reactions on Reddit’s r/Space were more critical of the timing and broader context.
“Even in the Star Trek timeline, the 21st century was roooouugh. Poverty, labor riots, nuclear war, all of which led to the post-scarcity utopia we see in the show. (God, I wish Captain Picard were around to solve problems with thoughts and words instead of violence),” one Redditor quipped.
An astronomer on the same thread pointed to recent cuts in STEM funding:
“One of the things that has worried me in recent months is how many active and wonderful STEM programs, which led students to wonderful future jobs, have been quietly shuttered due to lack of funding…. At this rate, even though my reviews are ‘excellent’ which would have been a shoo in for funding three years ago, I will get no grant money and probably won’t get tenure.
But sure, a single Space Academy which won’t be running for years if ever will make up for the destruction of American science I guess.”
Another comment cut to a frequent critique: “Anything but properly funding NASA. ‘Secretary of war’ is so gross to read.”
The commission has 120 days to report back to Trump, covering details such as who runs the day-to-day aspects of the academy and what service obligations graduates owe the country in return for their education. The recommendations must also propose a process for the selection of the academy site and any legislation Congress would need to pass.
This is Trump’s fourth space-related order since last year, following an executive order enabling competition in the commercial space industry (August 2025), Ensuring American Space Superiority (December 2025), and a National Space Transportation Policy memorandum issued this month (August 20).
Sources: White House, Ensuring American Space Superiority, National Security Presidential Memorandum, NASA