American astronaut, Air Force officer, Apollo 8 commander
President Trump has signed an executive order to begin creating a U.S. Space Academy to train astronauts, engineers and civil operators for NASA, the U.S. Space Force and the civilian spaceflight industry. A presidential commission chaired by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman will deliver proposals within 120 days; the academy’s location and funding remain undecided.
The Artemis II crew has received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for their record-breaking lunar trajectory. President Trump has announced plans for a US Space Academy and aims to position Artemis III/IV milestones toward a sustained lunar presence. NASA officials and astronauts are highlighting progress toward a future lunar base and Mars ambitions.
SpaceX has returned four Crew‑12 astronauts to Earth with a Pacific splashdown off Los Angeles. NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev have left the International Space Station and arrived ashore after a mission that included multiple spacewalks and a delayed crew rotation caused by capsule repairs.