A new permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command won’t be coming to Kent despite the efforts by city leaders.

The Department of the Air Force, on behalf of the Office of Secretary of Defense, announced Nov.19 six candidate locations for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.

The six locations include Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Patrick AFB, Florida; Peterson AFB, Colorado; Port San Antonio, Texas; and Redstone Army Airfield, Alabama.

Self-nominated communities, including Kent, 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 candidate location to assess which location is best suited to host the headquarters, according to the Air Force website. This assessment will be based on factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Department of Defense.

The Department of the Air Force anticipates selecting the preferred location for the 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.

The Kent City Council approved a resolution in August to bring the command center to Kent. The city sent the resolution to President Donald Trump, then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett and to members of the Washington state congressional delegation.

The new space command center will employ an estimated 1,400 at a 1 million-square-foot facility. U.S. Space Command is responsible for preparing all military operations in space, and is supported by service members drawn mostly from the Air Force but also from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.