Conroe A Top Contender For U.S. Space Academy
CONROE, TEXAS — President Trump signed the executive order at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, emphasizing that space is a critical domain for national security, economic growth, scientific discovery, and technological innovation. The order establishes the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy, chaired by the NASA Administrator, and tasks it with developing a full proposal for the academy’s governance, curriculum, service obligations, applicant requirements, federal partnerships, and the process for selecting a permanent physical location. The Commission must deliver its recommendations within 120 days.
The proposed academy would function as a NASA‑led federal institution combining rigorous technical education with leadership development and public‑service training. Its mission is to prepare a new generation of astronauts, engineers, scientists, operators, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and military leaders capable of advancing American interests in space.
As the federal process begins, Texas has launched its own statewide effort. Governor Greg Abbott announced the creation of a leadership team charged with securing Texas as the academy’s permanent home. Representative Greg Bonnen, M.D., Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, will lead the team.
“Texas is the home of America’s human spaceflight program,” Abbott said. “No state can match what Texas brings to this mission. NASA’s Johnson Space Center, world‑class universities, a premier commercial space industry, major military installations, and an unmatched aerospace workforce give Texas every asset the United States Space Academy requires.”
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick called Texas “the perfect home for the United States Space Academy,” citing the state’s rapidly growing private‑sector space industry and world‑class research institutions. House Speaker Dustin Burrows added that Texas’ 15 military installations and top universities make the state “equipped with the experts and workforce needed to launch this Academy.”
Gwen Griffin, Chair of the Texas Space Commission, said the Commission is honored to support the governor’s initiative and will work closely with Chairman Bonnen and the leadership team to demonstrate why Texas is the right place to train the next generation of American space leaders.
Texas already hosts the backbone of America’s human spaceflight program. Johnson Space Center is designated as NASA’s Human Spaceflight Center of Excellence and home of the astronaut corps. Texas universities train engineers, scientists, and operators for civil, commercial, and military space missions. The state also boasts major military installations, a deep aerospace workforce, and a commercial space industry that builds, launches, and operates systems that will define the next era of American leadership in space.
The leadership team includes Dr. Nancy Currie‑Gregg, Director of the Texas A&M Space Institute and former NASA astronaut; Dr. Heather Wilson, President of the University of Texas at El Paso and former Secretary of the Air Force; Evan Loomis of the Texas Space Commission Board of Directors; Dr. Robert Ambrose of the Texas A&M Space Institute; Jack Fischer, Senior Vice President at Intuitive Machines and former NASA astronaut; and Dr. Lori A. Magruder, Director of the University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research.
With the federal Commission preparing its recommendations and Texas assembling a high powered team to make its case, the competition for the academy’s location is now underway. Conroe’s inclusion among potential sites places the city in a unique position as Texas advances its bid to become the permanent home of the United States Space Academy.
