Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs to serve as Space Command HQ for next 6 years

F-16 jets at Peterson Air Force Base on June 2, 2016 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

by: Eric Ruble

Posted: May 15, 2020 / 02:46 PM MDT

Updated: May 15, 2020 / 07:25 PM MDT

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) — Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs will serve as the headquarters for U.S. Space Command for at least the next six years, according to Gov. Jared Polis.

The final decision on Space Command’s headquarters will be made in January 2021, the governor’s office said.

“This is great news for our state and I will continue urging the President and the Air Force to make Colorado the permanent home of U.S. Space Command. Colorado is home to a proud military community, a critical aerospace industry, an educated workforce, and prestigious research institutions so we are the natural and best home for U.S. Space Command,” Polis said in a statement.

Polis said he discussed Space Command with President Donald Trump when he visited Washington earlier this week.

Peterson was selected as the temporary home for Space Command last year.

Polis and Colorado’s congressional delegation pushed for Space Command to be based in the Centennial state.

Sen. Cory Gardner sent the following statement, in part:

“Today’s announcement is historic for Colorado and the future of U.S. military operations in space. With our existing military space infrastructure – whether at Peterson Air Force Base, Buckley Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base, the National Space Defense Center, U.S. Northern Command, or North American Aerospace Defense Command – Colorado is the perfect place for and now home to U.S. Space Command.”