Tennessee Bids to Host the U.S. Space Academy: Gov. Lee Announces Tullahoma Site Next to Arnold Air Force Base on Oct. 28
TULLAHOMA, Coffee County, Tennessee — Gov. Bill Lee announced on October 28 that Tennessee will bid to host the U.S. Space Academy, with the proposed site at the Coffee County Joint Industrial Park in Tullahoma, next to Arnold Air Force Base in the Tennessee Valley aerospace corridor.
The U.S. Space Academy was launched by Executive Order 14423, signed by President Trump on August 28, 2026 — the order establishes a Presidential Commission on the U.S. Space Academy to organize the school, aimed at strengthening the U.S. space workforce and training the next generation of astronauts, engineers, scientists, technicians and operators; NASA leads the site evaluation. "Somebody is going to decide what the future looks like, and I have always believed that should be Tennessee," Lee said.
Under Tennessee's proposal, the academy would use existing infrastructure with room to expand, backed by a network including Arnold Air Force Base, the University of Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech and Vanderbilt University. Under NASA's request for information (issued September 10, 2026), states' official responses were originally due October 26 but have been extended to November 16; on NASA's timeline, construction of a permanent campus would begin no later than 2027, with a first class of about 300 starting in 2028.
Related: Arizona Forms Steering Committee to Compete for U.S. Space Academy
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: GSM 行政令统一模板（州长行政令）
