Trump announces creation of new 'Space Academy': What's it all about?

President Donald Trump announced this Friday the creation of a new "Space Academy" to train future civilian and military recruits in a field where the country faces growing competition from China.

During an event at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Trump said the new institution will be modeled after the renowned U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The president signed an executive order to establish the academy.

"It's called the U.S. Space Academy. That's a big deal," Trump said as he signed an executive order creating the new school.

"It'll serve both the United States Space Force as well as NASA and the civilian spaceflight industry, and it'll attract, train, and graduate the very best of our nation."

Trump did not specify where the new academy will be built.

The U.S. president has attributed to the Space Force—the sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Forces—an important role in recent U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Iran.

During the ceremony in Houston, Trump also presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the crew of NASA's Artemis 2 mission, which flew past the Moon in April.

Space has become an increasingly strategic arena for the world's major powers, both militarily and technologically.