Mayor Battle calls for U.S. Space Command to land at Redstone Arsenal
Published on September 16, 2019
In speaking to Huntsville members of the American Society for Industrial Security today, Mayor Tommy Battle reiterated his call for the new U.S. Space Command to be centered in Huntsville. The City is one of six finalist locations announced by the Pentagon to include four sites in Colorado and one in California.
“No one does space and defense better than the brainpower on Redstone Arsenal. The world’s most advanced capabilities in aerospace, space and missile defense, and space exploration are already here.
“Huntsville has been at the forefront of space since the beginning. We’ve become the nation’s epicenter for rocket engines, cybersecurity, and soon – hypersonics. This makes us uniquely positioned to protect our assets and interests in space from growing threats by unscrupulous enemies.
“The infrastructure, talent, and space defense ecosystem are already here. Huntsville and Redstone offer a cost-efficient and effective environment to protect critical space assets.
“We encourage our leadership in Washington to make the smart choice, the right choice, and place the U.S. Space Command where it belongs – on Redstone Arsenal.”
Earlier today, among the many space programs managed in Huntsville, Lockheed Martin announced it is expanding its operations here in the development, testing and fielding of hypersonic systems. The company is locating the management and engineering workforce for its Hypersonic Strike Work Lockheed Martin unit, about 200 employees, at its facility in Cummings Research Park. They will also construct two new buildings in Courtland for the assembly, integration and testing of hypersonics programs.
“Hypersonic technology complements all the great work happening on Redstone Arsenal at the Space and Missile Defense Command and Missile Defense Agency,” said Mayor Battle. “With this announcement, Huntsville will once again be doing what we do best. Playing a leadership role in the engineering and development of the military’s future weapons systems.”
