President Donald Trump on Friday announced the establishment of a new US Space Academy, aimed at preparing future civilian and military personnel for an increasingly competitive space sector, particularly amid growing rivalry between the United States and China.
Trump made the announcement during a visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he signed an executive order creating the new institution.
The president said the academy would be modeled after the prestigious US Military Academy at West Point and would serve both military and civilian space programs.
“It’s called the US Space Academy. That’s a big deal,” Trump said, describing the institution as a place that would attract, train and graduate some of the country’s top talent.
According to Trump, the academy will support the US Space Force, NASA and the broader civilian spaceflight industry, creating a new pipeline of highly trained personnel for the rapidly expanding space sector.
Trump did not provide details on where the academy would be located or when construction and operations would begin.
Trump Highlights Role of Space Force
The US Space Force, established as the sixth branch of the US military, has taken on an increasingly prominent role in Washington’s defense strategy.
Trump has credited the Space Force with contributing to recent US military operations in Venezuela and Iran, underscoring the growing importance of space-based capabilities to modern warfare.
During his visit to Houston, Trump also awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the crew of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, which conducted a historic journey around the Moon in April.
US and China Race to the Moon
Space has increasingly become a strategic arena for major global powers, with the United States and China competing in both military and technological capabilities beyond Earth.
Washington and Beijing are also engaged in a race to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030, more than five decades after humans first set foot on the lunar surface.
Trump last week pledged to usher in what he called a “golden age” of space exploration, with plans to accelerate rocket launches and expand US ambitions involving the Moon and Mars.
The proposed Space Academy is expected to become part of those broader efforts to strengthen America’s workforce and maintain its leadership in space exploration, technology and national security.
