President Donald Trump said on Friday he will sign an executive order to begin the process of establishing a new national academy dedicated to space as he honored the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission in Houston, Texas.
"I will sign an executive order to begin the process of creating a new national academy. It's called the US Space Academy. That's a big deal," Trump told a ceremony honoring the astronauts.
Trump said the proposed academy would complement the US Space Force and serve as an institution focused on space for those pursuing careers in the field.
"We're going to have now a Space Force. We're going to have an academy for what the people in this room love the most," he said. "That's exciting. That's really exciting."
Trump added that he expected to select a location for the academy soon.
The president made the announcement as he presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew, recognizing the astronauts for their historic mission.
"Today, we're proudly awarding the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the remarkable crew of Artemis II," Trump said.
He emphasized that the mission was the result of a broader effort involving thousands of NASA personnel and contractors.
"These astronauts did not do it alone," Trump said, praising NASA engineers, scientists, launch and landing specialists and others involved in the mission.
Trump also highlighted another major NASA milestone expected over the weekend, the launch of the Roman Space Telescope.
"I understand this weekend that NASA has a very big launch coming up: the Roman Space Telescope," Trump said.
He described the telescope as "hundreds of times more powerful than Hubble" and said it would help scientists "unlock the secrets of the universe."
"To everyone involved here at NASA, good luck this weekend," Trump said. "It's a big deal."
