A New York state lawmaker is urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to consider a Hudson Valley airport as the home of the proposed U.S. Space Academy.
State Sen. James Skoufis is asking Hochul to submit Stewart International Airport in Orange County as New York's official bid to host the academy, a new institution being developed following a presidential executive order.
NASA recently invited governors and their designees to submit proposals from their states to host the project. Several states, including Arizona, Texas and West Virginia, have also expressed interest in hosting the academy.
Why Stewart Airport?
Skoufis said Stewart International Airport near Newburgh offers several advantages as a potential site.
Among them is the airport's 11,817-foot runway, available land for
development, existing aerospace infrastructure and connections to military facilities in the region. He also noted the airport shares facilities with the Stewart Air National Guard Base and is located near Interstate 84 and the New York State Thruway.
What is the U.S. Space Academy?
The proposed U.S. Space Academy was established through an executive order signed in August 2026. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman chaired the first Presidential Commission on the academy on Sept. 9, after which NASA issued a request for information inviting states to submit proposals to host the institution.
According to NASA, commission members are studying the academy's governance, curriculum, service commitments, partnerships and implementation. The agency has said the academy is intended to help develop the nation's future aerospace workforce and leadership.
No location has been selected for the academy.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Could New York become home to the U.S. Space Academy? State lawmaker makes pitch
