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Alabama's Redstone Arsenal selected as future home of U.S. Space Command
13 Jan 2021, 19:42 UTC
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, was picked as the future location of U.S. Space Command's headquarters.
Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett announced the decision Jan. 13.
The selection of Redstone Arsenal is a huge win for Huntsville, nicknamed "Rocket City." U.S. Space Command is currently based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. Alabama was considered a long shot and Colorado the front runner, given its incumbent status and concentration of military installations and space industry contractors.
U.S. Space Command was established in August 2019 as the military's 11th unified combatant command. The future headquarters will have approximately 1,400 military and civilian personnel.
Redstone Arsenal was one of six finalists the Air Force announced in November. Besides Colorado's Peterson Air Force Base, the other candidates were Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Patrick Air Force Base, Florida; Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
"Huntsville compared favorably across more of these factors than any other community, providing a large, qualified workforce, quality schools, superior infrastructure capacity, and low initial and recurring costs. Additionally, Redstone Arsenal offered a facility to support the headquarters, at no cost, while the permanent facility ...