HOUSTON — The president announced the initiative during a visit to the facility where he also awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the crew of the Artemis II mission. "It's called the U.S. Space Academy," Trump said. "That's a big deal."

The executive order establishes a Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy to guide the development of the institution. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will serve as chair of the commission. Isaacman has served as the 15th administrator of NASA since December 2025.

NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will serve as executive director of the commission. Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Michael Kratsios and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy Kevin Hassett will serve as vice chairs. The commission must submit a report to the president within 120 days of the signing of the executive order.

The commission's report will include recommendations on the governance framework, service obligations for graduates, physical location of the academy, and legislative requirements. The Trump administration has not yet chosen a location for the U.S. Space Academy. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is lobbying for the academy to be located in Texas.

"I'm going to be choosing a location very shortly," Trump said. "Just leave me alone, Ted, please, leave me alone." The proposed academy is not intended to be a traditional service academy that educates and trains officers for the armed services. Instead, the goal is to create an educational institution with free tuition in exchange for a service commitment of several years from graduating students.

During the event, Trump called U.S. astronauts on the International Space Station from the Mission Control Center. He became the first president to call U.S. astronauts on the station from a NASA facility’s Mission Control Center. Jessica Meir is the current commander of the International Space Station mission.

"I just congratulate everybody. And be careful. Be safe. And we love you all," he said to the astronauts.

The Artemis II crew flew around the moon earlier this year and presented the president with a NASA flight jacket. Astronaut Jack Hathaway commented on the new academy during the event.

"I graduated from the Naval Academy. I’m sure they’re more than excited to support it and have it on board," Hathaway said. The initiative to create the academy is part of NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's Project Athena plan to revamp U.S. civil space efforts. Trump signed a National Space Transportation Policy memorandum on August 20, 2025.

"In the years ahead, we will return NASA astronauts to the lunar surface, build the Moon Base, get underway on nuclear power, ignite the orbital economy and launch more missions of science and discovery," Isaacman added. "I have no doubt that so much of the future talent that will graduate and contribute to these exciting endeavors will be educated at the United States Space Academy." Trump compared the new institution to existing military academies.

"So you think of West Point, and you think of Annapolis, and you think of the Air Force Academy, and you think of the Coast Guard academies," he said. "Great, they're all great. But we're going to have now the Space Force. We're going to have an academy for what the people in this room love the most." He described the long-term goals for space exploration during the announcement.

"Far beyond the moon will someday be thought of a close location, like, like in the old days, the subway, the first stop, the moon will be a close location," he said. The president stated that the academy will attract, train and graduate the very best of the nation. He had previously announced his intent to create the academy in an official statement.

Why It Matters

The establishment of the U.S. Space Academy represents a significant expansion of federal investment in space education and workforce development. By creating an institution dedicated to training personnel for the U.S. Space Force, NASA, and the commercial space industry, the administration aims to secure American superiority in space operations. The academy differs from traditional service academies by allocating the majority of its graduates to civilian and NASA roles rather than military commissions.

The formation of the Presidential Commission indicates that key details regarding the academy's location, governance, and legislative requirements remain undecided. The commission's mandate to report within 120 days sets a near-term timeline for resolving these structural questions. This move follows previous executive actions on space policy, including the Ensuring American Space Superiority order signed in December 2025 and the National Space Transportation Policy memorandum from August 2025.

Timeline

On August 20, 2025, President Trump signed a National Space Transportation Policy memorandum. In December 2025, President Trump signed the Ensuring American Space Superiority executive order. On August 28, 2026, the official record states that President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating the U.S. Space Academy, which was reported on August 28, 2026, at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston.

What's New

Additional reporting shows the scope of the president's vision for the new institution. "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," according to statements from NASA leadership. The official record states that Trump signed an executive order creating the U.S. Space Academy at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Trump outlined the rationale for the order in his remarks. "That’s why I will sign an Executive Order to begin the process of creating a new a national academy called the U.S. Space Academy," he said. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman expressed confidence in the academy's future impact.

"I have no doubt that so much of the future talent that will graduate and contribute to these exciting endeavors will be educated at the United States Space Academy," Isaacman said. The executive order imposes a deadline on the newly formed commission. The Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy must submit a report to the President within 120 days of the signing of the executive order. The president had previewed the action earlier. "I will sign an executive order to begin the process of creating a new national academy," he said. He cited industrial and strategic growth as drivers for the decision. "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," he said.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on the specific provisions emphasized in the executive order regarding the commission's duties and the broader strategic goals. The Executive Order Establishing the United States Space Academy specifies that the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy must submit a report to the President within 120 days of the signing of the executive order. White House presidential actions text emphasizes that the executive order states that achieving American superiority in space requires recruiting, training, and retaining the nation's best astronauts, scientists, engineers, operators, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and warfighters.