The hunt is on for a state to host the U.S. Space Academy.
NASA released arequest for informationon Sept. 9, following a meeting that NASA AdministratorJared Isaacmanheld in Washington for the occasion. The space agency has set a quick timeline for the project: States are encouraged to submit a proposal by Oct. 26, 2026.
"Now, with the RFI underway, states across the country have an opportunity to help us shape a legacy institution built for America's future in space," Isaacman said in aNASA statementon Sept. 10.
TheU.S. Space Academywon't be a purely military institution in the mold of the Naval Academy or West Point. It will be led by NASA, and one of its core functions will be educating future scientists, engineers and astronauts, as well as warfighters.
If all goes to plan, the academy will welcome its first class of 300 students for instruction starting in 2028. Because that doesn't leave much time for planning and building, the RFI states that the academy may start before it has a permanent campus.
While the academy may rely on "one or more partner institutions" for facilities to start out, the RFI outlines plans for a big campus once everything is up and running.
A permanent campus will include buildings for teaching, research, administration, student residences, sports venues and gyms, dining halls and related facilities.
The purpose of the new space academy is to "encourage and guide the next generation of Americans to pursue cutting-edge, technical fields that currently do not have a sufficient amount of programs and graduates needed to ensure America maintains superiority in space," a White Housefact sheetabout the planned academy states.
The request calls for a groundbreaking by 2027, as well as a temporary campus for the first class of 300 students in 2028. The timeline in the RFI has the academy's permanent location in operation by 2031.
"The location of the U.S. Space Academy is foundational to its success," NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson said in the Sept. 10 statement.
"We're asking states to bring their strongest vision — the infrastructure, the partnerships and the community that can compete with the elite options this caliber of student will have and match the boundless ambition of our future space leaders," he added.
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Julian Dossett is a freelance writer living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He primarily covers the rocket industry and space exploration and, in addition to science writing, contributes travel stories to New Mexico Magazine. In 2022 and 2024, his travel writing earned IRMA Awards. Previously, he worked as a staff writer at CNET. He graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos in 2011 with a B.A. in philosophy. He owns a large collection of sci-fi pulp magazines from the 1960s.
