Louisiana is making a second big play for a piece of the space economy, this time setting its sights on a brand-new federal institution that President Donald Trump wants built somewhere in America by 2031. Just weeks after SpaceX unveiled plans for a massive spaceport in coastal Vermilion Parish, state leaders are now assembling a bid to bring the proposed U.S. Space Academy to New Orleans East.
A New Kind of Federal Academy Takes Shape
Trump issued an executive order in late August calling for the creation of the U.S. Space Academy, and NASA has since invited interested states to begin the application process, according to NOLA.com. Executive Order 14423, signed August 28, formally established a Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy and directed it to deliver recommendations within 120 days on governance, location, curriculum, and graduate service obligations, according to the Federal Register. That commission held its first meeting September 9 in Washington, chaired by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman alongside War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, per War.gov.
The institution is envisioned as a NASA-led civilian federal academic institution, one that would prepare scientists, engineers, astronauts, pilots, operators, entrepreneurs, civil servants and warfighters alike, per the same NOLA.com report. Analysis published in The Conversation frames it as the first nonmilitary service academy ever operated by the federal government, designed to train both Space Force personnel and civilian aerospace leaders. The proposed campus would need at least 300 acres and would eventually house and train 1,200 students by the start of the 2031 academic year, with dormitories, sporting venues, student life services, and academic, engineering, science and research facilities.
An Aggressive Timeline and a Looming Deadline
NASA is not asking states to move slowly. Its Request for Information calls for candidate sites capable of breaking ground by 2027, with interim classes for 300 students starting in 2028 before the permanent 1,200-student campus opens by 2031, according to USA Herald. Louisiana's application is due to NASA by October 26.
Louisiana's bid is being led by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Metairie Republican, with support from the Jeff Landry administration and GNO Inc., the report notes. GNO Inc. will compile application details together with Louisiana Economic Development. Michael Hecht, president and CEO of GNO Inc., said the opportunity could raise the state's national aerospace profile and argued that New Orleans has a historical claim to hosting the academy, per the NOLA.com report. New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno said bringing the academy to the city is one of the most exciting opportunities the region has seen.
Michoud's 65-Year Head Start
Louisiana's pitch leans heavily on what is already sitting in New Orleans East. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, an 829-acre federal complex with 43 acres of manufacturing space under one roof, marked its 65th anniversary this month, according to GNO Inc. The plant has built hardware for the Saturn V, Space Shuttle and Artemis programs since 1961, and NOLA.com reports it has specifically been involved in building engines for the Apollo rockets, the Space Shuttle and the Artemis mission. Michoud currently supports between 2,600 and 3,500 civil service and contractor jobs, including staff from prime contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin, who build the Space Launch System core stage and Orion spacecraft components there, per a federal Request for Interest posting tied to the site's planned Discovery Park technology campus.
Not far away, Stennis Space Center tests NASA rockets, adding another regional asset to the pitch. Louisiana has not yet determined exactly where within the New Orleans area the academy would sit, but state officials argue the region carries historical, logistical and economic advantages that few states can match.
SpaceX's Starbase Louisiana Adds Momentum
The Space Academy push comes on the heels of SpaceX's announcement that it will build a spaceport in coastal Vermilion Parish. The company unveiled plans August 25 to invest $100 billion in Starbase Louisiana, a 125,000-acre commercial facility near Pecan Island projected to create 3,000 direct jobs paying an average annual salary of $92,600 over 10 years, according to Louisiana Economic Development. The site is designed to support thousands of Starship flights annually and is expected to create a hub of aerospace activity in the state, NOLA.com reports. Hoodline previously covered the land deal behind the project.
Louisiana's broader aerospace and defense footprint reinforces the pitch. U.S. military spending in the state generates a $17 billion annual economic impact and supports 117,000 jobs statewide, per a September economic analysis from Louisiana Economic Development, with major installations including Barksdale Air Force Base and Fort Johnson. The U.S. Space Force, established in 2019, now has 15,000 military and civilian employees nationwide, according to NOLA.com.
Texas, Florida, Alabama and Nevada Are Watching Too
Louisiana is far from alone in chasing this prize. The state faces competition from Texas, Florida, Alabama and Nevada, according to NOLA.com's reporting. Texas has moved aggressively: Governor Greg Abbott established a state leadership team this month to secure the permanent campus, backed by joint statements from U.S. House Science Committee Chairman Brian Babin and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, according to EIN Presswire. Texas is touting its aerospace workforce alongside a $200 million Texas A&M Space Institute being built near NASA's Johnson Space Center.
It's worth noting that Trump's executive order only creates a 120-day presidential study commission — it does not by itself authorize construction or funding. Formal establishment of the academy, and any money to build it, would ultimately require congressional authorization and appropriations. Hoodline has previously reported on NASA leadership's vision for a New Orleans moon base and on the Artemis II crew's recent visit to Michoud, both signals of the region's deepening ties to federal spaceflight.
