Starbase, Texas? Elon Musk’s SpaceX hub may soon become an official city
Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has long embraced Texas as both a business hub and a playground, launching rockets, building cars, and envisioning a utopian community for his workers on the rural outskirts of Austin.
Now, a new Musk venture is nearing success: a vote on Saturday that could officially transform a small area of coastal South Texas, home to his SpaceX rocket company, into a city called “Starbase,” the Associated Press reported.
The initiative appears headed for success, given that many eligible voters are his employees. This would mark a positive development for the billionaire, whose public image has suffered following his involvement in federal spending reductions and an unsuccessful $20 million investment in Wisconsin Supreme Court elections.
His Tesla automotive enterprise has experienced declining profits.
County election records indicate that by Tuesday, approximately 200 of 283 eligible voters had participated in early voting. While Musk voted in the county during November elections, his name does not appear among early voters.
The proposed municipality, whilst appearing as a wealthy individual’s personal project, enjoys considerable local support. However, there are growing worries about how the city’s establishment and related legislative measures might affect public access to a beloved recreational area traditionally known as the “poor people’s beach.”
The prospective municipality, situated at Texas’s southernmost point near the Mexican border, encompasses roughly 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometres).
The area features sparse roadways, scattered airstream caravans and basic houses from the 1950s. Voters will cast their ballots in a facility on Memes St, a playful reference to Musk’s social media platform X.
The concept of establishing Starbase was initially proposed by Musk in 2021. SpaceX leadership has remained reticent about their motivations for creating a company-controlled municipality and has not addressed recent enquiries.
However, ongoing disputes regarding beach accessibility indicate potential underlying interests.
SpaceX’s operational activities, including rocket launches, engine testing, and equipment transportation at the launch facility, necessitate closing nearby highways and restricting access to Boca Chica State Park and Beach.
Currently, these closures require coordination with Cameron County authorities. Pending state legislation would transfer primary oversight to the new municipality, coinciding with SpaceX’s application to the Federal Aviation Administration to increase annual launches from five to 25.
SpaceX representatives indicate the proposed legislation would enhance operational efficiency for the company, which maintains contracts with the Department of Defense and NASA for its Starship heavy rocket programme, including planned lunar missions and eventual Mars expeditions.
“This fully reusable rocket system keeps the US ahead of global competitors like China, and its being developed right here in South Texas,” SpaceX Vice President of Starship Legal and Regulatory Sheila McCorkle wrote to state lawmakers.
“We need to carry on our mission of turning South Texas into the Gateway to Mars and making humankind multiplanetary,” McCorkle added. She noted the company’s $4 billion investments and thousands of jobs in Texas.
Public response has been mixed. Numerous SpaceX employees submitted identical supportive statements, while opponents express concerns about private control over public beach access.
Supporters of SpaceX’s plan praised the company’s contributions to the area, highlighting job creation and investments. However, opponents argues that granting Musk and his company too much control over a popular beach, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually, would be a mistake.
Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr emphasised that the county has managed beach closures responsibly and sees no need to shift authority to the new city. “SpaceX is a strong economic driver in our region, one of which we are extremely proud,” Trevino said in a letter to state lawmakers, the Associated Press reported.
Another proposed bill would make it a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail, for failing to evacuate the beach when ordered. However, this measure would only take effect if the new city gained control over beach closures.
In a temporary setback for Musk and SpaceX, a state House panel recently rejected a bill that would have transferred the authority to close beaches for rocket launches from the local county government to the proposed new city.
