The Academy is the premier commissioning path for officers wishing to serve in the U.S. Space Force, which was established on Dec. 20, 2019. Immediately after its conception, the Academy started a constellation of Guardians with the commissioning of 86 officers into the Space Force in 2020, and continues to build that new legacy. Indeed, 115 cadets were commissioned into the Space Force in 2021 and 94 in 2022.

The Academy boasts seven research centers that provide hands-on space application activities. There are over 180 cadets currently majoring in space-related fields and over 60 minoring in Space Warfighting. Plus, all cadets take a space fundamentals as part of their core classes. We have the facilities and expertise to produce Guardians of tomorrow.

Space-focused courses

The Academy offers two space majors, a space warfighting minor, and 29 space course offerings spanning all academic departments. Graduates of space-focused courses will have the tools and experience needed to succeed as future officers in the space domain. Explore more:

• Astronautical Engineering major
• Space Warfighting minor
• Systems Engineering major

Space Infographic

FalconSat

“Learning space by doing space” is the motto of the Academy’s unique FalconSat senior capstone engineering program, a program unlike any other undergraduate space program in the world. Each year Astronautics Department faculty, aided by experts from other departments, NCOs, technicians and contractors, provide Astro majors with the real hands-on experience of designing, building, testing, and launching satellites.

FalconSat’s roots trace back to the early 1980s when the first cadet experiments were designed for space shuttle missions. These later morphed into balloon-launched testbeds and small payloads followed by free-flying satellites launched in the early 2000s. Since the mid-2000s, the Air Force Research Lab has sponsored the FalconSAT program, providing funding and payloads to give cadets this unique opportunity. Each FalconSat has included payloads intended to provide flight heritage and experimental data.

Experiences with FalconSat is not limited to seniors or Astro majors. Cadets belonging to the Cadet Space Operations Squadron get to operate satellites and control the entire FalconSat Constellation.

Space research facilities