US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday creating a “Space Academy” to train future civilian and military recruits, speaking at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Trump said the institution would be modelled on the US military academy at West Point and would serve both the United States and its space programs. “It’s called the US Space Academy. That’s a big deal,” he said as he signed the order.
The new school is intended to prepare personnel for space operations, an arena where the United States competes directly with China. The academy would train recruits for both civilian and military roles, according to the president.
Trump framed the move as part of a broader effort to keep the United States ahead in space. Washington established the US Space Force as a separate military branch in 2019, and the new academy would feed trained personnel into that expanding domain.
The announcement follows other executive actions the administration has taken to reorder defence and technology priorities. Earlier this year, the president directed the Pentagon to scale back joint military drills with South Korea, signalling a wider recalibration of security policy.
China has accelerated its own space ambitions in recent years, completing its Tiangong space station and advancing crewed lunar plans. US officials have repeatedly cited that competition when arguing for increased investment in space capabilities and personnel.
The executive order did not specify a funding level, campus location, or opening date for the academy. Details on admission standards, curriculum, and how the school would coordinate with existing service academies were not immediately released.
West Point, the model Trump cited, is a four-year federal service academy in New York that commissions officers into the US Army. Applying that structure to space would require congressional appropriations and new administrative machinery.
The White House is expected to release further implementation details in the coming weeks.