U.S. Space Command Headquarters May Land In Alabama

NPR | By Dustin Jones

Published January 13, 2021 at 9:48 PM EST

Updated at 8 p.m. ET Thursday

The U.S. Space Command selected Huntsville, Ala., as the preferred location for its headquarters Wednesday. Space Command is provisionally based in Colorado, but it has conducted virtual and on-site visits to six locations.

Redstone Arsenal, an Army installation in Huntsville, got the nod. Space Command evaluated potential sites based on factors related to mission, infrastructure, community support and cost, a news release announced.

Redstone Arsenal was favored because it provides a large, qualified workforce, quality schools and superior infrastructure capacity. Additionally, the Army installation offered a facility free of charge until a permanent structure is built.

"The Department of the Air Force anticipates making a final decision for the location of US Space Command Headquarters in spring 2023, pending the results from the required environmental impact analysis," the release said.

The command has also looked at Albuquerque, N.M., Bellevue, Neb., Cape Canaveral, Fla., Colorado Springs, Colo., and San Antonio, Texas.

Corrected: January 14, 2021 at 12:00 AM EST

An earlier version of this story said Space Command is a department of the Air Force. It is a combatant command of the Department of Defense that conducts operations in, from and to outer space.