Here’s what you need to know about the Space Force’s impending move from Colorado to Alabama and everything that’s happened since President Trump first announced the move in early September.
More than two months have passed since President Donald Trump announced he would move the U.S. Space Command to Alabama. And it will still be several years before the new headquarters is up and running.
Even before President Trump made his decision official in early September, Huntsville, aptly nicknamed Rocket City, was preparing to welcome the military’s latest project. In Huntsville, famous for its role in building the first rocket that helped the United States reach the moon, officials aspire to host the Space Force and operations to expand the nation’s military power beyond Earth.
But in Colorado, leaders are reluctant to let go of the facility that has been a mainstay since 2019, employing more than 1,000 people and being a source of economic vitality.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Space Force’s impending relocation from Colorado to Alabama and what’s happened since President Trump first announced the move.
President Trump announces moving Space Command to Alabama
In early September, President Trump announced at a White House press conference that the U.S. Space Command, one of the Pentagon’s 11 combatant commands, would be relocating from Colorado Springs to Huntsville.
Specifically, the Space Force’s headquarters will be relocated to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The facility dates back to World War II and is also the location of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs has been home to the Space Force since 2019, initially on an interim basis.
What’s the latest on the Space Force’s relocation to Huntsville, Alabama?
The relocation process for Space Command, which includes approximately 1,700 people employed at the Colorado location, is expected to be multi-year and costly.
The USA TODAY Network left a message with the Space Force media team on Monday, Nov. 17, but did not receive a response.
In a statement at the time of the announcement on social media site
But Huntsville city leaders have indicated that preparations have been underway for some time to establish a Space Force operation over the next five years. In a press release after President Trump’s announcement, Huntsville officials said 60 acres of land near the center of Redstone Arsenal was chosen for the new headquarters.
Huntsville has also already invested more than $1 billion in transportation, education, health care and infrastructure improvements to accommodate the new arrivals and their families who will soon move to the area, officials said. A total of approximately 1,400 people are expected to be employed when the headquarters begins operations.
“These investments reflect years of long-term planning to prepare our city for future growth,” Mayor Tommy Battle said in a statement. “They demonstrate Huntsville’s determination to be mission ready from day one.”
Colorado sues Trump administration over relocation of Space Command
President Trump’s decision to move the company’s headquarters to Huntsville reverses moves made under former President Joe Biden’s administration. Biden had selected Colorado Springs as the Space Force’s permanent home in 2023 after some supporters within the military suggested that relocating the base could jeopardize the military’s readiness, which could take years to become fully operational again.
Alabama officials rightly praised President Trump’s decision, saying it would bring tens of thousands of jobs and potentially billions of dollars in investment.
But Colorado leaders rightly denounced the move as a waste of taxpayer money that endangers national security. Then, in late October, the state took legal action.
On October 29, Colorado’s attorney general sued the Trump administration, claiming the decision was unconstitutional retaliation for the Democratic state’s mail-in voting practices. The lawsuit filed by Attorney General Phil Weiser in the federal district court of Colorado seeks an injunction against the move and a judge’s order calling the president’s decision unconstitutional.
What is the U.S. Space Force?
The U.S. Space Force is responsible for military operations beyond Earth’s atmosphere, about 92 miles above the internationally recognized boundary of space known as the Karman Line. This includes protecting U.S. satellites from potential threats.
More specifically, the Space Force will enable satellite-based navigation and troop communications, and conduct operations such as providing warning of missile launches.
According to the Department of Defense, the Space Force, which is responsible for conducting military operations, is separate from the U.S. Space Force, which is a branch of the military like the Army and Navy.
Space Force was originally established in 1985 to provide joint command and control for all forces in outer space, and was later integrated into U.S. Strategic Command in 2002. The Space Force was then re-established in 2019 under the first Trump administration, with a new focus on the potential for space combat.
Why did Trump move the Space Force to ‘Rocket City’?
President Trump’s move is consistent with the Air Force’s original intention to locate its headquarters in Huntsville.
Huntsville officials have long lobbied the state’s Space Command, which has overwhelmingly supported Trump’s three Republican presidential bids.
Huntsville is nicknamed “Rocket City” because of its prominent role in U.S. spaceflight history, particularly during the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s.
In addition to Marshall Space Flight Center, the city is also a major hub for defense contractors and aerospace companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. The Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command is also located in Huntsville.
Contributor: Zach Anderson, USA TODAY. Reuters
Eric Lagatta is a Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact elagatta@gannett.com.
