During the Trump administration, it was decided the United States Space Command was to be moved from Colorado to Alabama. The move would have brought 1,400 jobs and $1 billion in annual economic spending to the town of Huntsville.
However, Alabama is having to walk back its celebration after the Biden administration reversed course and announced that the Space Command will remain in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Right now, countries are advancing their turf out of this world. The U.S., Russia and China are all in a race to create new, more advanced space stations.
NASA is trying to mine the moon before China does. While China has expressed interest in surpassing the number of satellites SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has in his Starlink network. Russia is also readying its first moon lander launch since 1976.
The increased competition is why the U.S. Space Command post is so important. Its purpose is to report the military’s activities in orbit to the secretary of defense by collecting communications, controlling navigation and monitoring any potential spying from above.
It serves as the hub of the United States’ own intelligence on space exploration. The city where it’s built also benefits from it economically.
In 2019, then-President Trump’s decision to move it out of Colorado to Alabama was criticized as a political move. His critics said Trump was taking away the accolade from a blue state and handing it to a red one.
Now, Biden is getting the opposite criticism. He is being accused by lawmakers like Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, of reversing the Command’s departure from a blue state because his administration doesn’t want it moved to a red one.
Rogers has launched an investigation into whether the move was politically motivated. For now, the idea is just speculation.
Huntsville, Alabama, is dubbed “Rocket City” due to its billions of dollars in space research, development programs and NASA center. The Pentagon said its decision to keep it in Colorado Springs comes down to the military readiness of the Command.
According to the Pentagon, by moving the government facility, it would slow down its operations at a time U.S. officials are being forced to prioritize space exploration because of China’s and Russia’s recent advancements and interests.
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