Space Command launches Rocket City's next chapter

Catch up quick: U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, a Republican whose district includes Huntsville, said in a media call Tuesday the move could bring as many as 1,600 direct jobs to the arsenal and 3,000 spin-off jobs.

• Defense contracts and contractors, including those already ramping up operations in Huntsville, should swell those numbers further.

What they're saying: "This has a big effect on us, not necessarily for the next 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years, but for 10, 15, 20 years out," Mayor Tommy Battle told reporters Tuesday, adding that the direct jobs will be technical.

• He also noted the $25 billion in recent appropriations for Golden Dome, of which Trump said Tuesday Space Command will play a key role.

Context: Huntsville's been known as Rocket City for decades, thanks to a reputation that started with Space Race-era rocket development and continues today, with Artemis II engineering and hardware.

• According to the Department of Defense, Redstone Arsenal is home to just under 700 active duty military personnel and around 50,000 civilian and contract employees.

• Huntsville has a history of successfully relocating major federal agencies, including Army Materiel Command, Army Aviation and key FBI operations, according to the city, which says that experience "validates its capability to manage this transition."

What's next: About 1,400 Space Command jobs will transition to Huntsville over the next five years, according to the city.

• Strong says design is complete and site preparation work is ready to begin at the site identified near the center of Redstone Arsenal.
• "The funding is there," he said. "We need to go vertical."