President Donald Trump is proposing the creation of a “United States Space Academy” designed to offer the same type of tuition-free, four-year degree as US military academies.
But rather than requiring active-duty military service, graduates of this federally funded university may fulfill their post-graduation obligations by working at NASA or “as a government civilian,” said a senior space agency official familiar with the matter who requested to speak anonymously to freely discuss ongoing work.
The school would train the “next generation of astronauts, scientists, engineers, operators, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and warfighters,” according to an August 28 executive order to establish the academy, signed by the president.
Details about how this institution would be run and who would be eligible to attend are yet to be determined; the executive order directs a commission — led by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman — to hash out “key details” by Christmas.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment regarding the plans for the Space Academy.
