Dayton Space Academy Bid
Ohio Pitches $300 Million to Build New National Space Academy in Dayton
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Ohio officials and lawmakers are seeking to locate the proposed U.S. Space Academy at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Wright State University in Dayton. The bid draws on the region’s aerospace assets, including Wright-Patterson, NASA Glenn Research Center and the Neil Armstrong Test Facility, but faces competition from states including Florida, Texas, Alabama and Nevada. Ohio’s proposal would require about $300 million in state investment for academic and research facilities and a road linking Wright State with the base, while the total federal investment could reach $1 billion. The academy is envisioned as a NASA-led civilian institution focused on training future astronauts, scientists, engineers, space operators and military personnel, potentially serving thousands of students annually. President Donald Trump directed the academy’s establishment in an Aug. 28 executive order, and competing site proposals are due Oct. 26, with Ohio leaders expressing confidence in Dayton’s prospects.
Key Points
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Ohio’s proposed campus would include a $300 million “multiplanetary hall” roughly the size of four football fields, a “Plus Ultra Gate,” and a “drive of heroes” featuring statues of Ohio astronauts and aviators.
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The Dayton proposal also includes a golf course designed by Ohio golf legend Jack Nicklaus; Sen. Bernie Moreno said Nicklaus joined a meeting with President Donald Trump to help make the case for the site.
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Moreno said he had met with President Donald Trump twice in the Oval Office about the proposal and expressed strong confidence in Dayton, saying, “I think the only place that Space Academy belongs is Dayton, Ohio, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.”
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If the proposal advances on schedule, officials hope recruits could begin arriving as early as next fall, although the initial class would be much smaller than the projected eventual enrollment of about 5,000 students annually.
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Trump’s Aug. 28 executive order described the academy as part of a broader effort to prepare astronauts, scientists, engineers, operators, entrepreneurs, civil servants and warfighters, emphasizing space as vital to national security, economic growth, scientific discovery and technological innovation.
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