(The Center Square) – Gov. Bill Lee wants the U.S. Space Academy in Tennessee and says he already has an ideal place.
The governor said Wednesday he is pitching Coffee County's Joint Industrial Park as a possible location. The site is located minutes from Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma. Huntsville, Ala., where the U.S. Space Force is expected to relocate by 2032 according to the Trump administration, is about 60 miles away.
“Someone has to determine what the future looks like, and I’ve long believed that should be Tennessee,” Lee said in a statement. “From leading the nation in clean, reliable nuclear energy to developing the workforce needed to win the future, the Volunteer State is already leading the next era of American innovation."
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication obtaining further comment from Lee's office about the application process or possible cost.
Lee's office included a link to the 49-acre site in its statement. It's listed on the Tennessee Economic and Community Development website with a sale price of $15,000 per acre and is publicly owned.
President Donald Trump created the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy in August. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said states have until Nov. 16 to submit requests for information.
States are asked to include information about the location, site readiness, environmental and regulatory considerations and how close the site is to "supporting ecosystems."
Groundbreaking for the Space Academy would happen no later than 2027, with 300 students expected to enroll in a temporary location in 2028, according to NASA. The permanent location is expected to be in place by 2031.
Tennessee will compete against other states, including Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas, that also indicated interest in the U.S. Space Academy, according to multiple reports.