Support is growing among Florida lawmakers for an effort to locate the newly announced U.S. Space Academy in the state.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., with assistance from Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., recently introduced House companion legislation to U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody’s STARS Act, which seeks to establish the academy in Florida.
“Thank you, Representative Donalds and Representative Haridopolos, for introducing the STARS Act to bring the new U.S. Space Academy to the Sunshine State,” Moody said. “Momentum for our mission is growing, and Florida is unified in this effort to ensure our state remains the leader in space innovation and exploration.”
The proposed U.S. Space Academy would train students seeking careers with the U.S. Space Force while also supporting workforce needs at NASA and within the commercial spaceflight industry.
Moody recently introduced the Senate version of the STARS Act and has also been working with state partners to respond to a federal request for information related to establishing the academy. Earlier this month, she joined space industry leaders in making the case for Florida as the academy’s location.
Florida’s Space Coast has experienced substantial growth in launch activity in recent years. According to Moody’s office, the number of launches from the region has increased by more than 500% since 2016.
The Space Academy proposal is one of several space-related initiatives Moody has pursued in Congress.
Moody helped pass the Secure U.S. Leadership in Space Act, legislation designed to encourage private investment in spaceport infrastructure by making qualifying spaceport facility bonds tax-exempt, similar to financing available for airports and seaports.
She also introduced the Space Ready 2.0 Act, which would create a NASA-wide pilot program allowing the agency to accept voluntary private contributions for infrastructure improvement projects at NASA facilities. The proposal would not establish a new federal spending program or Treasury fund, but instead would allow private-sector partners to contribute toward infrastructure projects supporting NASA missions.
In addition, Moody introduced the CAPE Canaveral Act, which proposes relocating NASA headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Florida’s Space Coast.
Earlier this year, Moody also met with the Artemis II crew at Kennedy Space Center as NASA continued preparations for its crewed lunar mission.
