What Happened
New Academy To Offer Free Tuition With Service Commitments
President Trump has signed an executive order to establish a new US Space Academy under NASA, offering free tuition in exchange for a service commitment. The academy aims to build a pipeline of engineers, operators, and service members for both civil and military space programs. Meanwhile, the Army has successfully used a directed-energy weapon to down three hostile drones at the southern border. The US has seen 207 launches so far in 2026, with the space industry facing growing concerns about launch access and capacity. This development was reported by various sources, including NASA and Breaking Defense.