The Air Force is establishing new criteria and re-opening the selection process for Space Command headquarters in what could be a setback for Redstone Arsenal and other sites named as finalists last year.

Redstone was named as one of six finalists to be the home of Space Command but a decision by the U.S. Department of Defense to revisit the selection process following complaints of the process being “unfair and not transparent,” Defense Sec. Mark Esper said at a Senate hearing Wednesday.

Esper also said that an announcement on Space Command HQ – which Huntsville has been anticipating for months – will likely not be made until after the November election.

Air Force Sec. Barbara Barrett said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday that the new criteria will be announced in the spring.

Huntsville leaders have been aggressive in their pursuit of Space Command headquarters and its standing as a finalist has been a recent bragging point for the Rocket City. Also on the list of finalists were four Air Force bases in Colorado as well as California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The headquarters is temporarily located at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

It's not immediately clear how revamping the selection process will affect the sites already deemed to be finalists. More than 40,000 people work at Redstone Arsenal, which is home to commands such as the Army Materiel Command, Missile Defense Agency, Army Aviation and Missile Command and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

The FBI is also growing its presence at Redstone, building a $1 billion campus that will eventually be home to more than 4,000 employees.

Space Command HQ could result in as many as 1,450 jobs for the selected site.

Under questioning at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday by Sen. Doug Jones, D-Birmingham, Esper said he made the decision to re-open the process.

"I heard from (House) members on both sides of the aisle that they felt that the process that had been run was unfair and not transparent and there were a number of complaints," Esper said. "So I directed at that time that we pause in place."

Esper went on to say he did not believe the process was "transparent enough, that enough states, members, etc., had a chance to participate."

In addressing Esper, Jones said “you know a cynical person would, in today’s world, think that there was some political electoral politics coming into play into this, because Congress has wanted to do this and we’ve been supportive but now we’re going to get delayed again in opening up this process.”

Esper said that re-opening the selection process would likely push the final decision beyond the Nov. 3 presidential election.

“I don’t see anything being announced before the election,” Esper said.