With President Trump's announcement and Executive Order establishing a presidential commission to design a United States Space Academy, a debate will undoubtedly begin over where it should be located. Envisioned as a NASA-led federal academy with some similarities to the other U.S. service academies - the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs - the Space Academy would be even more unique than its "cousins." It would combine military and civil-service preparation with exposure to the broader commercial space enterprise.
With Star Trek celebrating its 60th anniversary on September 8, legions of fans may already be tempted to start a petition for San Francisco to become the Space Academy's home. After all, creator Gene Roddenberry made the City by the Bay the future home of Starfleet Academy and the United Federation of Planets. Despite my own Star Trek fandom, I am more than confident San Francisco will not appear on any shortlists of potential Space Academy locations. My guess is that there are three leading possibilities.
- Huntsville, Alabama. As the designated headquarters location for United States Space Command and the longtime home of major U.S. military organizations at Redstone Arsenal, as well as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville has an inside lane in the race to become the Space Academy's future home. Add the region's significant investment in hypersonic research and testing, major aerospace-aligned educational institutions, extensive corporate operations and tremendous political capital in both houses of Congress, and it is easy to understand why "Rocket City" would be an ideal home for the academy. Having Space Camp in the neighborhood doesn’t hurt either.
- Houston, Texas. With a hometown baseball team aptly named the Astros and the moniker “Space City,” Houston also belongs on the shortlist to become the future home of the Space Academy. If being home to NASA's Johnson Space Center and human-spaceflight operations for more than 60 years were not significant enough, the number of space companies in the region - and across Texas - cannot be overstated. Axiom Space and Intuitive Machines are headquartered in the Houston area, while SpaceX, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace and others have significant launch, manufacturing and operational footprints across the Lone Star State.
Another notable factor working in Houston's - and Texas' - favor is the Texas Space Commission. Established by the Texas Legislature in 2023, the commission has been in warp drive, working with leaders in government, industry, research and investment to make Texas the capital of all things space. Those efforts not only have momentum; they have considerable gravity behind them - substantial funding, tremendous political capital, a business-friendly environment, major infrastructure and history.
- Brevard County, Florida. While Orlando may be the closest major city to the aptly named Space Coast, the area is home to the most famous launch site in the world - NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Alongside it is Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with Patrick Space Force Base nearby. In this part of the United States, rarely does a day go by without something roaring into the atmosphere from Florida's shores. Launches may be among the most visible and celebrated aspects of space, but liftoffs do not happen without demand, manufacturing and operations.
Take a drive through the areas surrounding Kennedy Space Center and you will see massive production and operational facilities supporting SpaceX, Blue Origin and other companies - with more capacity under construction or planned. It would not be hype to call this growing cluster the coolest industrial park in the world. Contributing to much of that success is Space Florida. Since 2006, this state-created organization has worked with public, private, military and educational partners to build the workforce, investment, infrastructure and business-friendly climate needed for space activities of all types to succeed in the Sunshine State.
There are certainly other viable and noteworthy options around the country for the future Space Academy - Colorado, California, Virginia and others. All have notable infrastructure and deep benches of civil, military, commercial and research organizations in residence and operation in each state. Colorado, in particular, remains a formidable contender because of its Space Force presence and the U.S. Air Force Academy. Even so, Alabama, Texas and Florida currently appear to have the strongest combination of operational capability, political momentum and state support. That is the reality of how the stars are aligning in 2026.
Alabama, Texas and Florida offer nearly turnkey environments for Space Academy students, faculty, research, training and hands-on experience from Day One. That will be critical because demand for the talent the academy is intended to produce already exceeds the supply of workers needed for today's competitive and complex global space ecosystem.
The gap is widening between available and emerging space-collar jobs and people with the skills and training to fill them. That talent shortage puts American leadership in national security, economic growth, technological innovation, critical infrastructure and other space-enabled fields at risk.
The proposed Space Academy will not fill those gaps overnight, but it does provide a Sputnik-like moment for educational institutions across the United States and around the world. It also gives authorizers and appropriators in the U.S. House and Senate an opportunity to shape the academy’s mission, structure and future. As this Executive Order and the Trump administration’s other space-related directives make clear, America is intent on developing the talent needed to secure its leadership in space. It’s in our DNA to open bold frontiers.
Author: Rich Cooper is a senior advisor to the Beyond Earth Institute and a veteran space executive who previously served at Space Foundation, the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the US Department of Homeland Security and NASA. Throughout his career, he has helped government, business and nonprofit leaders translate complex developments in space, technology and public policy into stories that inform and engage diverse audiences.
