US President Donald Trump has launched an effort to create a NASA-led federal academy to train astronauts, engineers, scientists, military personnel and others for careers in the rapidly growing space sector.
Trump signed an order on August 28, 2026, establishing the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy and giving it 120 days to develop a detailed plan for the proposed institution.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will chair the commission, with NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson serving as executive director. White House science adviser Michael Kratsios and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett will serve as vice chairs.
The commission also includes the Secretary of War, Secretary of the Air Force, White House Chief of Staff, National Security Adviser and director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The commission will consider how the academy should be structured, what degrees it should offer, how it would be accredited and whether graduates should be required to serve in the military or federal government.
It will also recommend admissions requirements, which could include US citizenship, security clearances and military or government employment status.
Other questions remain unresolved, including where the academy would be located and precisely how it would be organized. The commission must evaluate whether the institution should operate within NASA and develop a process for selecting a permanent campus.
Trump announced the initiative during an event at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“Given the rapid growth of the US Space Force and commercial space industry, and the expansion of our ambitions to the Moon and far beyond the Moon, it’s clear we will need to educate and train an entire generation of skilled service members, engineers, and civil operators,” Trump said.
The academy is intended to address growing demand for specialized workers across the US space industry and government as NASA pursues increasingly ambitious exploration programs and commercial space activity continues to expand.
The White House said the academy could prepare graduates for careers across the military, civilian government and the broader US space sector.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration pushes to expand US activity in space. An executive order signed in December 2025 calls for astronauts to return to the Moon by 2028 and for initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost to be established by 2030.
Trump also signed a National Space Transportation Policy on August 20, 2026, that calls for the US to support more than 1,000 launches and reentries annually by 2030.
After receiving the commission’s recommendations, Trump would have to approve the plan, and some elements could require congressional legislation and funding.
The commission’s report is due by the end of 2026.