Trump awards Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II crew, announces U.S. Space Academy

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 28, 2026, to establish the U.S. Space Academy, a new institution dedicated to training students for careers related to space exploration, exploitation, and protection. This academy will serve both the United States Space Force, NASA, and the civilian spaceflight industry.

At a ceremony held at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Trump presented the nation's highest space honor, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, to four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II moon mission. The president compared the new academy to those for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, emphasizing that the U.S. Space Academy will not be as militarily focused.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the U.S. Space Academy is a transformative step towards educating engineers, scientists, technicians, operators, and astronauts necessary for the future in space. The academy will play a crucial role in returning NASA astronauts to the lunar surface, building the Moon Base, igniting the orbital economy, and launching more missions of science and discovery.

Within the next 120 days, a Presidential Commission on the U.S. Space Academy, chaired by Isaacman, will submit a report with recommendations on governance, service obligations for graduates, physical location, legislative requirements, and more. Trump expressed his expectations for the academy, stating that it must be top-notch both in design and functionality, adding that "doing a bad building doesn't cost a lot less than doing a great building."