Trump Orders Creation of U.S. Space Academy to Counter Rivals

The president framed the initiative as a cornerstone for the future of the U.S. Space Force and NASA, promising to cultivate the nation’s top talent for both government operations and the private spaceflight sector. While Trump touted the move as a major expansion of national capability, he left the site for the facility unspecified. The announcement comes as the administration intensifies its focus on lunar missions, targeting a return to the Moon before 2030 to beat Chinese efforts in the ongoing space race.

During the same event, Trump honored the crew of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor following their successful flight around the Moon this past April. This push for a new training infrastructure aligns with the president’s broader pledge to usher in a golden age of exploration, encompassing future missions to both the Moon and Mars.