President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, September 2nd that Space Command’s headquarters will be relocating from Colorado to Alabama.
The headquarters of the US Space Command will continue to move under new decisions from the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, September 2nd that Space Command’s headquarters will be relocating from Colorado to Alabama. The move is the latest update to a long-standing battle over the home of the military’s latest combatant commander’s home, currently based in Colorado Springs.
But while Colorado officials have touted the state’s relationship with the Air Force as a reason for space command, Alabama officials have long worked hard to make Huntsville, the state’s biggest city, a much better base, as an aerospace and defense hub. With rivals like Russia and China making similar advances in their own space, the city is now poised to become a major location for operations to expand the power of the US military into space.
With Trump’s new decision to move its headquarters, there’s everything you need to know about the US Space Command.
What is US Space Command? What does Space Command do?
The US Space Command is responsible for military operations that go beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, or for more than about 62 miles of military operations. This includes protecting the satellite from potential threats.
More specifically, Space Command performs operations such as enabling satellite-based navigation and military communication, providing warnings for missile launches.
What is the difference between Space Force and Space Command?
The US Space Force is the military service division, which is responsible for organizing, training and equipment the military, like the Army and Navy.
Space Command, meanwhile, is the commander of combatants under the US Department of Defense, which conducts military operations using troops from all military sectors, including the Space Force.
According to the Department of Defense, just as the Marines fall under the Navy Department rather than having their own division, the Air Force division was originally called the Air Force Space Command, so Space Force falls under the Air Force division.
When was Space Command established?
Space Command was created in 1985 to provide joint command and management to all military forces in the universe before it was integrated into the US strategic command in 2002.
Space Command was then reestablished in 2019 under the first Trump administration, with a new focus on potential space-based combat.
Where does Space Command have its headquarters?
Space Command is tentatively operated from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.
Trump’s decision to move headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama overturns movements made under former President Joe Biden’s administration. Biden had chosen Colorado Springs as a permanent home for Space Command in 2023, and supporters of the location said it was perfect for military preparation.
But Huntsville, home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the main hub of defense contractors, has long lobbyed at Space Command headquarters. The Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command is also located in Huntsville. Huntsville is called “Rocket City” because of its role in building the first rocket that helped the United States reach the moon.
A report released by the Government’s Office of Accountability in June 2022 found that the Alabama site was a “priority location” over the other five.
How many people are employed by Space Command?
According to Congressional records, about 1,700 people work on Space Command.
Contributed by: Zac Anderson, USA Today; Reuters
Eric Lagatta is a Space Connect reporter for the USA Today Network. Contact him at elagatta@gannett.com
