Gen. Jay Raymond, U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations and commander of U.S. Space Command, is briefed by 1st Lt. Melanie Mohseni and 1st Lt. Byron Baker, 2nd Range Operation Squadron, while touring at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. , is briefed by 1st Lt. Melanie Mohseni and 1st Lt. Byron Baker, 2nd Range Operation Squadron, while touring at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brittany E. N. Murphy)
The hatch opens on a United Launch Alliance barge, known as the RocketShip, revealing Delta IV Heavy boosters at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The barge operation is a vital first step to executing the mission of assured access to space. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Aubree Owens)
Ellington Airport (EFD) – feels like home.
Home of the nation’s 10th licensed commercial spaceport, home to ongoing space training for many astronauts from the world-renowned Johnson Space Center, and home to the regional headquarters of the U.S. Coast Guard, which just celebrated its 230th anniversary. EFD is also home to the operations of several other operational units of the U.S. military, the Department of Homeland Security, NASA, and a number of general aviation tenants.
And now, according to Arturo Machuca, General Manager of Ellington Airport and the Houston Spaceport, EFD is in the running for being considered as home base for the headquarters of the U.S. Space Command. Two other Texas cities, San Antonio and Fort Worth, are also in the running.
Machuca said that the Department of the Air Force recently informed Houston that the city met the screening criteria to bid for the opportunity to become home of the Space Command headquarters.
“Houston already proudly wears the nickname Space City,” Machuca said. “We feel that we are uniquely qualified, and it’s a true honor that the Air Force will allow us to put in our bid on behalf of the State of Texas and the City of Houston.”
The provisional headquarters for the U.S. Space Command is Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. On May 15, the Air Force announced an open bidding process to select the permanent location of Space Command headquarters. Any state with large military bases can compete to host U.S. Space Command, and bids were due on June 30.
The Air Force said it expects to select a location in early 2021 and estimated it may take up to six years to build new facilities.
On Aug. 29, 2019, the Pentagon activated U.S. Space Command, intended to serve as a precursor to U.S. Space Force. U.S. Space Command is the military’s 11th unified combatant command. According to published reports, the future headquarters will house approximately 1,400 military and civilian personnel working there.
Space Command acts as a warfighting command in space, and is separate from U.S. Space Force, established as a new branch of the military in 2019, the first since the Air Force was created in 1947. The U.S. Space Force is the 6th independent U.S. military service branch, tasked with missions and operations in the rapidly evolving space domain. Space Force is headquartered at the Pentagon along with the other major military branches.
With regard to headquarters for Space Command, John Henderson, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and energy, said he anticipated a decision in early 2021.
In March 2019, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote a letter to Pres. Trump that specifically nominated EFD as Space Command headquarters.
"The State of Texas stands ready to support your leadership. To that end, there is no better location for the Space Command headquarters than Houston's Ellington Airport, near the Johnson Space Center," Gov. Abbott wrote.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to represent our city and our state,” Machuca said. “From Elllington’s impact on the local economy ($3.3 billion and more than 13,000 local jobs) to the services offered here – disaster relief, military operations, a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower, and so much more – we would love this unique opportunity to come to fruition.”
“We’re home to the Houston Spaceport, home to so many wonderful tenants and facilities – why not home to the U.S. Space Command?” Machuca said.