\n Some lawmakers have shown a similar interest, such as US Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama who floated the idea of a Space Academy during a 2021 hearing<\/a>. (Gen. John Raymond, then chief of space operations of the US Space Force, told Tuberville at the time he didn\u2019t think it was necessary because the US Air Force Academy was sufficient.)\n <\/p>\n \n The idea, however, appears to be evolving.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThis is a NASA-led, civilian \u2014 and a very distinct difference here \u2014 federal academy, not a service academy,\u201d the senior NASA official, who fervently supports the space academy concept, told CNN. \u201cThis is a way to boost and expand opportunities for the greatest, best and brightest in our nation to expand opportunities to serve.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Policymakers and experts reached by CNN to discuss the matter largely said that, in an era when space is becoming increasingly militarized and NASA is planning a moon base, there may be some advantages to creating such an institution.\n <\/p>\n \n But questions remain: Would Congress approve the project? How would such a school, which could perhaps cost up to $1 billion per year<\/a> to operate, be funded? And what would its curriculum look like?\n <\/p>\n \n When it comes to the question of whether such an academy is necessary, the devil may be in the details, said Dr. Eric Merriam, a professor of legal studies and political science at the University of Central Florida.\n <\/p>\n \n A \u201cnew Space Academy is only necessary if it provides something existing educational institutions do not, can do it better, or can do it cheaper,\u201d Merriam, who previously was an assistant professor at the Air Force Academy, said via email.\n <\/p>\n \n There is one crucial way such an academy could fill an urgent need.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cNASA and other STEM and cyber-focused government entities are experiencing real difficulty competing with industry to recruit and retain talent,\u201d Merriam said, noting that jobs in the private sector, where companies can pay lofty salaries and offer lush benefits, tend to be more attractive.\n <\/p>\n \n That\u2019s the key appeal of the Space Academy: Students of such an institution could receive a free education and commit to working at NASA or in another government role. And they wouldn\u2019t necessarily be required to undergo military training or join the armed services after graduation.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIn my view, the most compelling argument in favor of a Space Academy,\u201d Merriam said, \u201cis the potential return on investment to the nation of offering a non-military pathway for top students to receive a high-quality, national service-focused, free college education in exchange for subsequent public service.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n However, \u201cthe question,\u201d Merriam noted, \u201cbecomes whether a Space Academy, with its associated costs, bureaucracy, and potential for politicization, is preferable to the other potential ways to fill that void.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Other options for creating a pipeline to NASA, Merriam noted, include government scholarships for students to attend existing institutions in exchange for post-graduation civil service. Federal agencies could otherwise drastically increase the salaries and benefits for such in-demand civil service careers in fields like STEM and cyber.\n <\/p>\n \n The senior NASA official, however, argued that scholarships may not be sufficient, and a dedicated institution would showcase how vital subject matter expertise has become.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cAll of those other opportunities with scholarships and civilian universities and so on and so forth \u2014 those are still going to be there,\u201d the official said. But the Space Academy is \u201cabout expanding opportunities.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The official noted that the United States is in the throes of a new space race as it rivals China to return astronauts to the moon and begin building a permanent lunar settlement.\n <\/p>\n \n On several occasions<\/a> since taking NASA\u2019s top job in December, Isaacman has talked about wanting to draw on lessons learned in the last space race: the 20th century competition that pitted the United States against the Soviet Union.\n <\/p>\n \n Just as the Cold War heated up, and the aviation industry matured, the US government established the Air Force Academy, which went from signed legislation<\/a> in April 1954 to welcoming its first students in July 1955.\n <\/p>\n \n Now that space technology is evolving to become as strategically important as the aviation industry, the lack of a similar pipeline for space education represents a \u201cbig gap,\u201d the official said.\n <\/p>\n \n In terms of academic offerings, a space academy likely would not be that different than existing institutions, such as the Air Force Academy, Merriam said.\n <\/p>\n \n Current service academies \u201coffer excellent programs in nearly all the same subjects (and more) that the proposed Space Academy would offer,\u201d he said via email.\n <\/p>\n \n The issue, Merriam emphasized, is not what service academies are teaching \u2014 it\u2019s that graduates of schools such as the Air Force Academy are required to enter military service, including about five years of active duty.\n <\/p>\n \n Merriam added that it\u2019s \u201cnot realistic\u201d to expect that the problem would be solved if the government began offering students at military institutions the option to enter civil service at NASA.\n <\/p>\n \n Allowing those students to choose between military or civil service could hinder existing schools\u2019 abilities to fulfill their primary mission: training leaders for the armed forces.\n <\/p>\n \n These academies also require extensive, military-specific physical training that may be \u201cunattractive to many students considering their educational options\u201d in the first space, Merriam noted.\n <\/p>\n \n But service academies in general face a key problem, he said \u2014 one of academic freedom. He previously coauthored a research paper<\/a> on the topic, which argued that such schools face \u201cdistinct challenges\u201d where the marketplace of ideas is \u201climited by institutional policies that serve a gate-keeping function.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cAlthough STEM courses tend to raise fewer academic freedom issues than other subjects,\u201d Merriam told CNN, \u201ceven mathematical or scientific inquiry is not immune to stifling external pressures, as Galileo knew all too well.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cUnless Congress imposes guardrails to protect academic freedom,\u201d Merriam added, \u201cthe Space Academy\u2019s curriculum and faculty will be subject to the ideological whims of the politicians atop the Executive Branch.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n US Rep. George Whitesides, a Democrat from California who previously was CEO of commercial space company Virgin Galactic and chief of staff at NASA, shared similar concerns.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe administration\u2019s war on American science does seem incompatible with setting up a science institution or something related to space science,\u201d he said, referring in part to the White House\u2019s repeated proposals to cut NASA\u2019s science budget by nearly 50%.\n <\/p>\n \n Whitesides added that he is not opposed to the idea of creating a space academy, emphasizing that he believes such an institution could prove valuable for many of the same reasons Merriam laid out.\n <\/p>\n \n But he also expressed concern and raised questions in a post<\/a> on social media last week.\n <\/p>\n \n Because the executive order determined that the school will be \u201cNASA-led<\/a>,\u201d for example, would the funding come out of the space agency\u2019s budget?\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThere needs to be some real discussion between people who are thoughtful and people who are open-minded about the benefits \u2014 what we really get out of it \u2014 and then what we can afford as a country,\u201d Whitesides told CNN in a Wednesday interview.\n <\/p>\n \n (The senior NASA official said that budgetary questions are \u201cto be determined\u201d but that the commission is engaging with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.)\n <\/p>\n \n Existing military academies such as West Point or the US Naval Academy cost about $1 billion to operate each year. And though it would be up to Congress \u2014 which holds national budgeting authority under the Constitution \u2014 to approve funding for a new space academy, Trump\u2019s executive order did not appoint any congressional representatives to the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy, which is tasked with drawing up the school\u2019s plans, Whitesides noted.\n <\/p>\n \n US Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California and ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee told CNN on Friday that the lack of Congressional representation on the commission is \u201cgoing to have to change.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n When asked if there is a pathway to getting the commission membership to change, Lofgren said she believes there is, noting she is in regular communication with NASA\u2019s administrator.\n <\/p>\n \n Merriam said that he shares concerns about how much this institution would cost. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to imagine the federal government doing something more inexpensively than what is already offered by existing educational institutions,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n \n Whitesides added that he is suspicious of a White House proposal centered on bolstering NASA-focused education.\n <\/p>\n \n He noted that the Trump administration has twice attempted to zero out NASA\u2019s education budget in addition to steep cuts<\/a> to the agency\u2019s science programs \u2014 ideas that Congress has rejected in annual appropriations.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cHow is this all consistent?\u201d Whitesides asked.\n <\/p>\n \n Still, he said, he is open to the idea of the Space Academy. He specifically imagines that it could lend a much-needed hand in assisting with government procurement programs \u2014 perhaps providing crucial expertise that can help the government spend taxpayer money more wisely when it comes to buying space hardware and services.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI am a deep believer in the future of space and its importance to humanity,\u201d Whitesides said. \u201cAnd the idea of creating a place where we develop and train those with the strongest calling towards national service in space is an idea that has some merit.\u201d\n <\/p>\n![\"US](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/gettyimages-2277947663.jpg\")
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