Patrick Air Force Base Named Finalist For U.S. Space Command

ACROSS FLORIDA — While most Floridians were consumed with down-to-earth issues like planning Thanksgiving around the coronavirus, Gov. Ron DeSantis had his head in the clouds Thursday.

That's when the U.S. Air Force announced that Florida is a finalist for the U.S. Space Command headquarters.

"I’m pleased that Florida has been selected as a finalist to host U.S. Space Command," DeSantis said. "Florida remains the world’s premiere gateway to space and, with our state’s long history of supporting space efforts, it provides the perfect location for this new headquarters."

The Air Force said it has selected six candidate locations for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters including Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach in Brevard County.

The others are Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Peterson AFB, Colorado; Port San Antonio, Texas; and Redstone Army Airfield, Alabama.

Self-nominated communities from across 24 states were evaluated as potential locations for hosting the headquarters.

The Department of the Air Force evaluated each location and will now conduct both virtual and on-site visits at each location to assess which is best suited to host the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.

The Air Force said the assessment will be based on factors related to infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Department of Defense.

The Department of the Air Force anticipates selecting a location for U.S. Space Command Headquarters in early 2021.

In the interim, Peterson AFB will remain the provisional location for U.S. Space Command Headquarters until a permanent location is selected and facilities are ready to support the mission.