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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) -- WHNT News 19 learned local leaders are looking into the idea of bringing a space academy to the Rocket City.

The plan is in the conceptual phase, but local, state and federal leaders are involved, according to information provided by U.S. Space and Rocket Center CEO Dr. Deborah Barnhart.

Barnhart says this is not a USSRC project necessarily, but the organization would benefit from having a world-class space academy in North Alabama.

"This is about an economic mandate for our community to continue to be the space capital of the universe," Barnhart told WHNT News 19 Wednesday afternoon.

Currently there is not a "space academy" anywhere in the county, but Barnhart and others who support the plan say other cities are eager to create a facility like this to their city due to the economic benefits.

"Some city some day in America is going to wake up and say, hey we have got a military academy, Air Force Academy and a Naval Academy, we should have a space academy," Barnhart says. "We think Huntsville is the best fit for this type of academy and we are working to make that a reality," she added.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle created a special task force to look into the prospect of a space academy. Also, in the 20 year plan for Redstone Arsenal, there is some land set aside for the proposed facility.

Details of what the space academy could include have not been finalized. Local leaders say in a perfect world this would be a federally funded project, something that would resemble other national defense academies, like the Air Force and Naval Academies. But supporters of the plan to bring a space academy to Huntsville realize current budget cuts and funding issues could be a road block for the project.