Starbase is now a reality

McALLEN (AP) — The South Texas headquarters of Elon Musk's rocket company, SpaceX, is now officially a city with a galactic name: Starbase.

A vote to formally make Starbase a city passed by an overwhelming margin among the small group of voters who live there, mostly Musk employees at SpaceX. With all votes counted, the result was 212 in favor and 6 against, according to results posted online by the Cameron County Elections Department.

Musk celebrated in a post on his social platform, X, saying that it is “now a real city!”

Starbase is the facility and launch site for the SpaceX rocket program, which is under contract to the Department of Defense and NASA and hopes to send astronauts back to the Moon and, one day, Mars.

Proposal

Musk first proposed the idea for Starbase in 2021, and approval of the new city was almost a given. Of the 283 eligible voters in the area, the majority are believed to be Starbase workers.

Electoral success was personal for Musk. The billionaire's popularity has declined since he became the public face—chainsaw in hand, complete—of President Donald Trump's federal employee and spending cuts, and profits at his car company, Tesla, have plummeted.

SpaceX has received broad support from local authorities for its jobs and investments in the area.

But the creation of an official company city has also raised concerns about expanding the tech mogul's personal control over the area, with the potential authority to order the closure of a popular beach and a state park to launches.

Complementary efforts to the city's vote include bills in the state Legislature that would shift the authority to order closures from the county to the city of Starbase.

All of these measures come as SpaceX has requested federal permission from authorities to increase the number of launches from South Texas from five to 25 per year.

The town in the far south of Texas, near the Mexican border, is only about 3.9 square kilometers in area, crossed by only a few roads, and dotted with trailers and modest mid-century homes.

Unknowns

SpaceX officials haven’t said much about why they want a company city and didn’t respond to requests for comment. “We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community,” Starbase General Manager Kathryn Lueders wrote to local officials in 2024 in a request to put the city to a vote.

The letter stated that the company already manages roads and utilities, as well as “the provision of education and healthcare” for those living on the property.

SpaceX officials have told lawmakers that giving the city the authority to close the beach will streamline operations for a company that has contracts with the Department of Defense and NASA.

SpaceX rocket launches and engine testing, and even simply moving certain equipment around the launch site, require the closure of a local road and access to Boca Chica State Park and Boca Chica Beach.

Critics point out that the authority to order a closure should remain with the county government, which represents a broader population that uses the beach and park. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., has said the county has worked well with SpaceX and there's no need to change it.

Another proposed bill would make failure to comply with a beach evacuation order a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail.

The South Texas Environmental Justice Network, which has organized protests against the city's vote and the beach access issue, held another demonstration that drew dozens of people.

Josette Hinojosa, whose young daughter was building a sandcastle nearby, said she was participating to try to ensure continued access to a beach her family has enjoyed for generations.

With SpaceX, Hinojosa said, “some days it’s closed, and some days you get turned away.”

Organizer Christopher Basaldú, a member of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, said his ancestors have long been in the area where the Rio Grande, as the Rio Bravo is known in the United States, meets the Gulf.

“It’s not just important,” he said, “it’s sacred.”