President Trump signs an executive order Aug. 28 creating a commission to study the proposed U.S. Space Academy. Credit: NASA/John Kraus
On Aug. 28, President Trump directed a new presidential commission to design a United States Space Academy, a NASA-led federal institution intended to educate and develop future astronauts, scientists, engineers and warfighters. The president directly referenced existing military academies as the model — institutions that combine technical education with leadership development, discipline, public service and a common service identity. While a physical campus is one way to create a corps of space leaders, it is not the only way or the best way. Rather than create another federal college and associated bureaucracy, the commission should recommend establishing the Space Academy as a scholarship-for-service program.
Trump is right that America has a space-workforce problem. The GAO highlighted in a recent report that the Space Force had a 25% personnel shortfall in fiscal year 2025, with just 13,509 personnel assigned against 18,002 military and civilian positions. And just days before the president’s executive order, NASA announced $10.5 million in awards through its Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs initiative, noting that the need for talent is already “urgent and will only continue to grow.” But a workforce shortage does not necessarily imply a shortage of universities.
