Trump signs order creating US Space Academy

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 28, 2026, to establish a U.S. Space Academy modeled after West Point to train military and civilian personnel. Led by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, an eight-member commission has 120 days to outline plans for the institution, which requires congressional funding. The initiative aims to address a 25% staffing deficit in the Space Force and bolster the U.S. in its lunar race against China, which targets a crewed moon landing by 2030.

US Space Academy creation

• ▪Funding for the proposed U.S. Space Academy will require approval from the United States Congress
• ▪The executive order signed by President Donald Trump on August 28, 2026, establishes an eight-member commission chaired by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to deliver a report in 120 days detailing the academy's admissions, academics, and location
• ▪U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 28, 2026, to begin the process of creating a U.S. Space Academy to train military and civilian personnel

Trump space policy legacy

• ▪President Donald Trump signed a bill creating the U.S. Space Force as the sixth branch of the military in 2019 during his first presidential term
• ▪President Donald Trump pledged that the United States will land astronauts on the moon during his final year in office and will launch a separate nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars in 2028

Space Force officer training

• ▪U.S. Space Force officer candidates are currently commissioned through the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado
• ▪A 2025 watchdog report revealed that the U.S. Space Force workforce is 25% lower than the staffing levels required by Congress

Artemis moon program timeline

• ▪During his visit to the Johnson Space Center on August 28, 2026, President Donald Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four crew members of the Artemis II mission
• ▪The multibillion-dollar U.S. moon program is targeting its first astronaut landing in 2028, utilizing SpaceX's Starship rocket system or potentially a lander under development by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin

US-China lunar competition

• ▪The United States and China are competing to establish a long-term crewed presence on the lunar south pole to access water ice embedded in the soil for fuel
• ▪China is aiming for its own crewed moon landing around 2030, following a series of robotic lunar missions

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