For years, U.S. Space Command was based in Colorado Springs at Peterson Space Force Base.
The command oversees American military operations in space — everything from protecting satellites to supporting GPS navigation and military communications. Its presence in Colorado was central to the state's role as a national aerospace and defense leader.
But that changed last September, when President Donald Trump announced the headquarters would move to Huntsville, Alabama.
"The U.S. Space Command headquarters will move to the beautiful locale of a place called Huntsville, Alabama," Trump said at the time.
Trump revived an earlier plan to relocate the command's headquarters — reversing a Biden-era decision — and criticized Colorado's mail-in voting system, suggesting it played a role.
The move landed hard for aerospace industry leaders who had spent years trying to keep Space Command in Colorado — including Rachel Beck, executive director of the Colorado Chamber Foundation.
"Aerospace is such a huge part of our economy in Colorado and our identity in Colorado," Beck said. "After a long, hard fight, and I think the data shows, Coloradans felt that we are the best location for Space Command. So, it was very disappointing."
Colorado has the second-largest aerospace sector in the country and the most aerospace workers per capita, with about 2,000 companies employing more than 55,000 people and supporting another 184,000 jobs indirectly.
Tens of billions of federal dollars also flow to aerospace companies in Colorado each year. Major industry players include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Boeing.
That's why losing Space Command raised red flags for Beck and others.
So, to protect Colorado's aerospace industry, Beck helped launch a new coalition called the Aerospace and Defense Alliance to support growth and give the industry a stronger voice. It was created in part after certain companies raised concerns of their own.
"We had two of our major members in aerospace come to us and say, there are some gaps in the advocacy," Beck said.
Much of that advocacy happens in Washington, D.C., where Colorado's congressional delegation says it has been working to keep Space Command from leaving the state.
GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert said politics played a role.
"It's really, really unfortunate that so many, so many decisions are made on a political basis," Boebert said. "You know, I guess it's kinda hard to be 'Bipartisan Boebert' in a Republican majority."
On the other side of the aisle, Democratic Rep. Jason Crow is adamant that the state delegation not only worked together on the issue, but did everything they could to advocate for Space Command to remain in Colorado.
"The Colorado delegation has been unanimous in its support for Space Command," Crow said. "In fact, it's a rare example of us coming together, all of us, in advocating for Space Command."
Industry leaders believe Colorado still has significant advantages in aerospace.
Robert Beletic is the Aerospace and Defense Industry Manager for the state's Office of Economic Development and International Trade. He said Colorado already has the companies, workforce, and research base to stay at the center of the industry.
Beletic emphasized that the state's aerospace sector is so strong, in fact, that it could eventually play a bigger role in sending rockets into space.
"Colorado will be on the short list of where we get started," Beletic said. "Fast forward 40 years, I think we'll be launching every hour out of Colorado into space."
Companies also continue choosing Colorado as a hub for the space industry
One example is Sodern, an aerospace company based outside of Paris, France, that makes star trackers and space cameras. It recently launched Sodern America and chose Colorado as its home base.
Sodern America CEO Tiphaine Louradour said the state's aerospace ecosystem makes it the right place to expand.
"Colorado and the region is known for being a very dynamic hub for the space industry. There's a lot of highly skilled, highly educated workforce in Colorado," Louradour said. "It gives us easy access to both coasts and also to other major space hubs in the country."
Colorado's aerospace industry remains strong, but losing Space Command was a wake-up call.
Now, the challenge is making sure it was only Space Command and not the start of something bigger.
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