Scott Powers
With the re-establishment of the military U.S. Space Command, the battle looms among states and locales over where it might be headquartered, so Space Florida is holding a statewide summit to plan the effort Thursday afternoon in Orlando.
At the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Space Florida has organized a statewide summit in Orlando Thursday to evaluate what is available and should be included in Florida’s proposal.
The establishment of the command is a priority of the administration of President Donald Trump. As authorized in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, the new Space Command falls short of Trump’s proposal to create a new, independent branch of the military dedicated to space-based defense. But the command would coordinate such defenses among all the branches of military, essentially re-establishing a U.S. Space Command that existed from 1985-2002.
Florida, with the Canaveral Air Force Base launch facilities, the emerging commercial space industry around Kennedy Space Center, and other military institutions, would be a strong candidate, but not the only one. Colorado, where the Space Command was previously based, has been reported as the leading contender. California, home to the Air Force’s other major military rocket launch complex at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Alabama, and other states are expected to make strong proposals.
The Space Florida forum is set to run from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Orlando International Airport’s Terminal C. The summit is being called, according to a Space Florida press release, “to assure we incorporate all of Florida’s extensive capabilities, talent and resources to best respond to the requirement soon to be generated, Space Florida is hosting this statewide Summit. “
