Building the United States Space Academy - We’re Off to the Races!

The new space age is upon us, and it’s so much more than just returning to our roots at NASA. There’s top-down energy finally building into a momentum that may just outlast the bureaucratic headwinds we’ve seen in this industry over the decades. One of the biggest signals towards this reality is the strong potential appearance of a space-centric university to train our best and brightest for this new era.

On August 28, 2026, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, President Trump signed an Executive Order forming a Presidential Commission to design a United States Space Academy (USSA). The order asks for a NASA-led federal academy that would mix technical education, leadership, and a commitment to public service, all aimed at NASA, the Space Force, and the commercial space industry. If this sounds like Star Trek’s Starfleet Academy to you, it’s a safe bet you’re understanding the idea and inspiration behind this effort.

The Commission pulls together names that make sense for both the space industry and this administration. NASA’s leadership and a few presidential advisors are included, as one would expect, along with others from executive level departments which will have need for workforce skills found in USSA graduates, notably the Secretary of War and the National Security Advisor. While these positions are named specifically, the Order does leave room for certain others to be included as deemed necessary by the Commission’s top ranks.

By the end of September 2026, the Commission had conducted its first meeting, released a Request for Information (RFI) to kick off the bidding, and five states officially put themselves in the running to be the home of the Academy: Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, and Ohio. Soon after, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman indicated that all states have shown interest in the competition.

"I would say every state in the country has taken interest in this. Everyone is very excited to have a Space Academy in their backyard. I will say that Florida, Texas, Ohio, Alaska, California — I mean, there are a number of states that have various space equities, or a NASA center in it, or a major launch complex — that have taken special interest in the opportunity," Isaacman detailed to reporters in Washington in late September. West Virginia and Arizona jumped in about a week or so into October. The deadline for official bids is October 26, 2026.

Each interested state is putting its best foot forward, touting their NASA and space industry connections plus any high relevance academic programs within their university systems. From the language of the RFI, building space and regulatory environment will also play critical roles in site consideration; after an initial group of 300 students begins classes in 2028 (states must have a workable plan for this, too), a minimum of 300 acres must be available to accommodate a body of 1,200 students by 2031 (eventually 4,000 in the long term), as well as the campus needs encompassing that responsibility.

The Commission must provide its recommendation on governance, curriculum, service obligations, admissions prerequisites, and the process for picking a permanent site to the President by December 26, 2026, after which a decision will be made. A time frame is yet to be specified for the steps following this handoff. It’s important to note that the Commission is not picking the winner – that’s the President’s role. Additionally, once the President has made his decision, the Space Academy will need to be formally created via legal statute and funding from Congress.

~*~

P.S. As we continue to track this story, a full visual guide is available at Atlas & Jane, complete with the Commission picks and timeline of events.