“Huntsville, known as the ‘Rocket City’ for decades, will now permanently be home to SPACECOM,” Trump stated. Huntsville earned the "Rocket City" nickname due to its pivotal role in America's space programs, including the development and testing of early rockets at Redstone Arsenal.
Initially, SPACECOM was to be based in Huntsville, but Biden’s administration disrupted the plan. In 2021, during Trump’s first term, the U.S. Air Force identified Huntsville as the preferred location. However, in 2023, Biden moved SPACECOM’s headquarters to Colorado Springs, citing operational continuity.
Trump's decision was influenced in part by his opposition to Colorado’s mail-in voting system, which he repeatedly claimed led to election fraud—claims which have been debunked. “When a state allows mail-in voting, it signals they don't want honest elections,” Trump stated.
This decision follows years of competition between Colorado and Alabama to host SPACECOM, with the move expected to boost local employment. Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed deep disappointment, criticizing the move as damaging to military readiness and national security.
SPACECOM was originally established in 1985, dissolved in 2002, and reestablished in 2019 to oversee U.S. space operations, a crucial frontier in modern warfare where military technologies depend on orbital satellites and sensors.