Kamala Harris visits the Johnson Space Center

During Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to Houston, she led the National Space Council meeting, where she emphasized the need to expand the nation's STEM workforce and establish rules to govern space activities.

Driving the news: Harris announced a new coalition of space companies that will train the next space workforce.

Why it matters: The coalition marks a collaboration between federal agencies and the private sector.

• In order to meet the current and future demands for a thriving and diverse space workforce, the public, private and philanthropic sectors must work together, according to the White House.

Details: Space companies, including Blue Origin, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, will partner with community colleges, technical schools and unions to open three space-related training pilot programs.

What they're saying: "Today, as was the case 60 years ago, our nation's leadership in space is critical to our economic prosperity, to our scientific and technological progress, and, in a time of increasing great power rivalry, to our national security," said Harris, a self-proclaimed "space nerd."

Of note: Harris also briefly spoke to the three American astronauts at the International Space Station on Friday where they talked about how their work on the ISS will impact us on Earth.