Trump announces new US 'Space Academy'

President Donald Trump announced the establishment of a new US Space Academy on Friday, intended to train future recruits for both civilian and military use in an arena where the United States competes with China. Addressing NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Trump likened the institution to the prestigious US military academy at West Point, signing an executive order to create the new school.

The academy will serve the US Space Force, NASA, and the civilian spaceflight industry, aiming to attract, train, and graduate the nation's finest. Trump has praised the US Space Force for its role in recent military operations in Venezuela and Iran, though he did not disclose the location of the academy. The president also presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the crew of NASA's Artemis 2 mission, which had flown past the moon in April.

As outer space becomes a strategic domain for global powers, the US is in competition with China to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030, surpassing the 50 years since humans last walked on the lunar surface. Last week, Trump pledged a "golden age" of space, aiming to launch more rockets, including to Mars and the Moon.