Space Command is a combatant command established in 2019 that employs about 1,200 people from across the military services to provide deterrence in space and if necessary to defend U.S. space assets.

Space Command headquarters to stay in Colorado Springs, Air Force decides

It is separate from Space Force, the newest military branch.

The Air Force on Monday decided that U.S. Space Command’s permanent headquarters will remain in Colorado Springs instead of moving to Huntsville, Ala.

The long-awaited decision caps more than two years of wrangling by officials from both states after former President Donald Trump announced in the final days of his administration that the command’s headquarters would move to Alabama.

Colorado lawmakers and others in state government urged the Biden administration to reconsider the move, maintaining the base should stay at its temporary home at Peterson Space Force base in Colorado Springs for national security and fiscal reasons.

In its lengthy review, the Air Force agreed, citing the the ability to reach full operational capacity faster at the Colorado location.

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat who has advocated for keeping the headquarters in the Pikes Peak region, applauded the news.

“For two and a half years we’ve known any objective analysis of this basing decision would reach the same conclusion we did, that Peterson Space Force Base is the best home for Space Command,” Hickenlooper said in a statement.

“After two investigations and rigorous review by the Department of Defense, the administration has made the decision that’s in our country’s best interest.”

He added that the decision “firmly rejects” the notion that political considerations should outweigh national security concerns. More Space Command history:

Sept. 1, 1982

Air Force Space Command is formed in Colorado Springs to oversee the service’s missions in orbit.

Sept. 23, 1985

U.S. Space Command is formed in Colorado Springs to oversee all military operations in space.

Sept. 26, 1985

Falcon Air Force Base opens on the plains east of Colorado Springs. It is the military’s first based dedicated to controlling satellites.

Aug. 2, 1990

Iraqi troops invade Kuwait, kicking off what would become the Persian Gulf War. It’s the first war that saw American troops rely on satellites for communication, navigation and reconnaissance, services provided by airmen in Colorado Springs.

Oct. 1, 2002

U.S. Space Command is shuttered as part of post Cold War downsizing at the Pentagon. While oversight of space missions is passed to U.S. Strategic Command in Omaha, Neb., few troops actually leave Colorado Springs, since most of the work stays with Air Force Space Command here.

Aug. 13, 2018

Congress approves a measure reestablishing U.S. Space Command, kicking off a process to determine where it will be housed.