West Virginia Bids to Host the U.S. Space Academy: Gov. Patrick Morrisey Calls on Communities to Propose Sites
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced in Fairmont on Oct. 21 that the state will compete to host the proposed United States Space Academy. President Trump established the academy by Executive Order 14423 on Aug. 28, and NASA has issued a national request for potential locations: the academy would enroll an inaugural class of 300 students in 2028, with construction of a permanent campus beginning no later than 2027, on at least 300 acres, growing to 1,200 students by 2031 and eventually about 4,000. Nearly every higher education institution in West Virginia has joined the bid effort, and Marshall University's and West Virginia University's joint grant resource centers are helping prepare the state's proposal ahead of the Oct. 26 deadline. Morrisey encouraged communities statewide to contribute potential sites, development concepts and other resources; details are at wvspaceacademy.com.
'Economic development has to translate into something real for West Virginia families,' Morrisey said. 'That means more good-paying jobs, more opportunities for our kids to build their careers here at home, and a stronger economy that helps us keep taxes low and make West Virginia more affordable.' The governor's office says the state has secured approximately $96 billion in announced private-sector investment and more than 19,000 projected jobs in less than a year, about nine times the level of a comparable prior period. Morrisey acknowledged that competing with established space states such as Florida and Texas will not be easy, but said West Virginia has its own unique space story to tell.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: NASA 公共领域图片（Artemis 二号发射，资料图）
