Alabama site picked for Space Command

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The U.S. Air Force announced Wednesday that the new U.S. Space Command headquarters will be in Huntsville, Ala., after the state was selected over five others competing for the project, including Colorado, where Space Command is provisionally located.

The role of Space Command is to conduct operations such as enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and providing warning of missile launches. That is different from the Space Force, which is a distinct military service like the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

Huntsville’s nickname, Rocket City, is thanks largely to Wernher von Braun and his team of fellow German-born rocketeers who settled there in the 1950s. The city has long been home to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, an appointee of President Donald Trump, announced the decision days before leaving office.

Colorado officials lambasted the move, saying military officials had recommended to Trump that Space Command remain at the Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, but they were “overruled for politically motivated reasons.” They did not say what those alleged political reasons were. Trump won Alabama in the November election and President-elect Joe Biden won Colorado.

The Department of the Air Force said the decision to move to Huntsville will become final pending the results from the required environmental impact analysis. That is expected in the spring of 2023. The headquarters will remain in Colorado until then.