President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to launch the United States Space Academy, a dedicated training ground for the nation's Space Force.
The new academy aims to educate and train the next generation of space commanders and provide a facility for service members, engineers, and civilian operators.
"It's called the U.S. Space Academy. That's a big deal," Trump said.
The move comes as the U.S. Space Force and commercial space industry rapidly expand, while Washington pursues increasingly ambitious and competitive goals on the moon and beyond, Trump said.
The president added that the U.S. government and the private sector launched just 22 rockets into orbit combined in 2016. By comparison, the United States conducted nearly 200 orbital launches last year. That number will continue to grow exponentially, according to the president.
"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," he added.
Trump said NASA has begun work on what he called the first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft, which is expected to launch on a mission to Mars in 2028.
The vessel could be the first in a larger American fleet aimed at making space travel more routine, the president said.
Trump’s executive order appoints NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman as chair of a new Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy, while NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will serve as its executive director.
“President Trump’s vision for a new academy is a transformational step to educate the engineers, scientists, technicians, operators and even the astronauts who will be necessary for the inspiring future we are pursuing in space,” Isaacman said in a statement. “In the years ahead, we will return NASA astronauts to the lunar surface, build the Moon Base, get underway on nuclear power, ignite the orbital economy and launch more missions of science and discovery."
During his visit to NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Trump also honored the Artemis II crew with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. He also called the astronauts aboard the International Space Station, thanking them for their dedication and service, even light-heartedly joking with them about how well his mustache would perform "great" in microgravity.