Space Academy

Welcome to the Space Academy.

The first “modern” Space Academy opened in 2001. It was an arm of the UN-EDF although a lot of what it would teach was useful to anyone going into space, the institute was a military one. Thus the advanced focus was on space warfare. 

The Academy’s main campus is located in norther Austrilia near the town of Darwin. It covers a sizable area including a launch facility. It offers a college level, 2 year basic training package and the additional 2 year of officer training, which is required for anyone wanting to command a ship.

In 2004 an equivalency program was drawn up of the basic training package, so that nations could open their own schools to provide enlisted ranks to the EDF. However the officer training would only be available at the Academy.

The first few years were run with a small student body of around 500, which was expanded to 2000 in 2006. At that time a 6 month “crash course” on basic space operations was also introduced. There would have been more expansion but there simply were not enough qualified instructors at the time. In fact several of the students graduated and went right into teaching positions at the Academy.

In 2007 the Academy opened its Luna facility, near moon base Alpha, for low gravity operations. All students were required to spent 2 months there. Then as part of their final testing they would participate in a war games exercise on the moon’s surface. Over time this final exercise would grow in complexity, to include drop ships landings, fighter combat and orbital dominance. A full combined elements operation. 

In 2011 the main campus got its next expansion, mostly to improve the officer training facilities. This was done in connection with the Vinland Project, the first FTL test ship. As no one really knew what hyper space was like, the Viking Hall as it was nicknamed, was mostly a research building exploring what star-ship crews would need to know. 

By 2014 the program for star-ship crews was ironed out and a few new buildings, including a large simulator, were added to the Academy. Also that year the training ship McAuliffe a Ranger class test unit, was put in service. Named for the teacher who died on the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, 1986.

In 2020 the Academy began offering a new General Training Package, which included a non-EVA basic work and survival in zero-g class, on the ground for one month then in orbit for one month. The class also made a short field trip to the moon.  The Package was quickly made available to all governments, if they wanted to open their own centers for ground classes.
This move came after the realization that most of the people now working "up there" never actually did anything outside. So they did not need EVA missions skills, nor did they need piloting skills.

This did create something of a class distinction between real Academy spacers and the casual workers. Although there was already a divide between Solar system rocket riders and Starship sailors.