President Trump signed an executive order creating a new military academy focused on space.
“To continue to lead the world in space exploration and technology, while securing and defending our national interests in space, the Nation must prepare the next generation of astronauts, scientists, engineers, operators, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and warfighters and ensure that they are capable of advancing American interests in space,” the order declares. “Achieving this goal requires us to recruit, train, and retain America’s best and brightest from across the Nation.”
The order establishes the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy, chaired by the NASA administrator, to advise and assist President Trump in developing the United States Space Academy “dedicated to combining rigorous technical education with leadership development, discipline, and a durable commitment to public service.”
The Commission is to develop a curriculum for students and leaders, including degree programs, training, and development opportunities, as well as creating service requirements for graduates.
The order follows President Trump issuing a new space transportation policy that places national and economic security at the forefront of the industry.
“Access to, from, and within space is a vital national and economic security interest. American space transportation capabilities underpin the global economy, and commercial space innovation flourishes with affordable, reliable, and safe space transportation,” the proclamation reads. “The United States must establish and maintain space transportation capabilities that ensure access to the full range of orbital regimes relevant to United States interests, from suborbital and very-low Earth orbit altitudes to the lunar surface, Lagrange points, and deep space.”
The memo notes that by 2030, the nation is to support “more than 1,000 launches and reentries every year” as to exemplify its “continued superiority in space.”
