Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio told Breitbart News on Thursday that the Space Force Academy should be located in his state. He said he urged President Trump to tie the academy to Ohio rather than Texas, citing Ohio figures including the Wright brothers, Neil Armstrong, and John Glenn, along with Wright Field in Dayton.

Moreno argued Ohio leads work on keeping people alive beyond Earth, including propulsion, energy, and related science, while Texas handles mission control and Florida handles launches. He said he is highly confident Trump will choose Ohio and that the academy could open in Dayton with Trump addressing the first class next fall, a claim he said no other state can match. He added that winning the academy would be a major gain for Ohio.