Trump signs order to create a US Space Academy

HOUSTON — President Donald ​Trump on Friday signed an executive order to begin creating a U.S. Space Academy, ‌a new institution modeled on West Point and other top U.S. ⁠military service academies.

"It's ​called the U.S. Space ⁠Academy. That's a big deal," Trump said during ‌a visit ‌to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where ⁠he honored the Artemis ⁠II crew with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Trump said the academy would help train the service members, engineers, and civilian operators needed as the U.S. Space Force and commercial ‌space industry grow and Washington ​expands its ambitions on the moon and beyond.

"A nation cannot be first on Earth if we're going to be second in space. Just not going to happen. Somehow, it just doesn't work that way," Trump added.

Trump also said ​NASA has begun work on what he called ‌the first nuclear-powered ‌interplanetary ⁠spacecraft, which he said is expected to launch on a mission to Mars in 2028.

He said the vessel could be the first in a ‌larger American fleet ​aimed at making space travel ‌more routine.

Contributing: Katharine Jackson

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