President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin creating a U.S. Space Academy during the Congressional Space Medal of Honor ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle
NASA is getting an undergraduate university similar to U.S. military academies, President Donald Trump announced Friday.
Trump signed an executive order to create the U.S. Space Academy during his trip to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Trump compared the Space Academy to the nation’s top military schools, such as the U.S. Military Academy at West Point or the U.S. Air Force Academy. But Matt Anderson, NASA’s deputy administrator, said it would be more like the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy where most graduates enter civil service.
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HOUSTON: Trump honors Artemis II astronauts in Houston, announces plan for new U.S. Space Academy
Artemis II crew members Jeremy Hansen, left, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman, right, take the stage during the Congressional Space Medal of Honor ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. President Donald Trump will award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II astronauts.
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle
President Donald Trump takes the stage during the Congressional Space Medal of Honor ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. Trump awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle
Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen, left, watches as President Donald Trump awards Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle
President Donald Trump leaves the stage after a ceremony awarding the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle
President Donald Trump, holding a flight jacket, poses with Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, right, during the Congressional Space Medal of Honor ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle
“The applications for this are going to be exciting because you’re going to have a job at NASA if that’s the path you choose,” Anderson said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.
A location has not yet been chosen.
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Trump announced the academy during a ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. He awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II astronauts – Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen – who flew around the moon earlier this year.
All NASA astronauts are trained at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Anderson said this new academy is not intended to replace that selection and training process. But its graduates should be well-positioned to one day fly into space.
“We can see a day when a lot of Space Academy graduates become astronauts,” Anderson said.
A new commission has 120 days to recommend how the Space Academy should be created and operated. Anderson said it’s envisioned as a taxpayer-funded, full scholarship program where students commit to join NASA, the Space Force or another federal agency upon graduation.
The commission will also recommend where the academy should be located, but Trump ultimately gets to choose the location.
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Trump said he’s already being lobbied on where the Space Academy should be built. He specifically called out U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican and chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, who was in the audience on Friday.
“Just leave me alone, Ted,” Trump quipped. “Please, leave me alone.”
Trump wants the Space Academy’s education to be comparable to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
“It’s got to be the equivalent of the others, which are great,” he said. “You know, they’re among the hardest schools to get into.”
He also said the Space Academy would benefit both NASA and the U.S. Space Force.
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Anderson, NASA’s deputy administrator, emphasized that most of the graduates will enter civil service. But there will be an avenue for those who want to join the Space Force upon graduation.
NASA has worked with the military in the past, and many NASA astronauts are members of the military.
Robert Pearlman, editor of the space history news site collectspace.com, said he hopes the new academy doesn’t blur the line between civil and military space. He said it’s important the school serves NASA’s goals as a civilian agency.
“So long as the academy remains true to NASA’s founding purpose – to advance knowledge and exploration – and recruits students for that pursuit, then it should be a welcome asset,” he said.
Phil Smith, a space industry analyst with BryceTech, questioned how much money will be allocated to the new academy. He said military academies have an annual operating budget that’s around $1 billion each.
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“I really don’t see a need for such a dedicated institution, especially since this suggests another public expense,” Smith said in an email. “Many universities offer high-quality degree programs focused on space and space-related subjects.”
More specifics will be determined in the next 120 days. In the meantime, Anderson said he’s simply excited the executive order was signed.
“The administration is excited for a civilian-led federal academy to prioritize civilian space,” Anderson said.