Elon Musk’s long-standing vision of creating a futuristic city devoted to space exploration is now an official reality. On Saturday, a landslide vote among residents of unincorporated Boca Chica Village in South Texas mostly SpaceX employees approved the incorporation of Starbase, Texas. According to Cameron County election results, the final count stood at 212 votes in favour and just six against.
Musk delivered a short message on X to celebrate the result, saying,” Now a true city!” The move strengthens SpaceX’s expanding footprint at the southwestern edge of Texas, where the company has spent the past ten years developing rockets, testing systems, and launching Starship models, which Musk hopes may one day transport people to Mars.
The repercussions are only just beginning to become apparent as the poll has passed. With the new status of Starbase as a municipality, SpaceX will now have considerable influence over regional government.
What is Musk’s strategy for Starbase?
A 1.5-square-mile piece of southern area near the US-Mexico frontier, crisscrossed with trucks, hangars, and high-tech equipment is now known as Starbase, the new name for Boca Chica Village. Under deals with NASA and the Department of Defense, it has served as SpaceX’s primary build location for Starship, a jet designed for deep space missions.
According to a report from NBC News, the business already provides its employees with important services in the area, including streets, services, education, and health care. Kathryn Lueders, SpaceX’s general manager, wrote to local authorities in 2024 asking for a vote to fully create the town, citing the need to “grow Starbase as a community.”
SpaceX wants to significantly improve its rocket launches from five to twenty every year, along with any associated infrastructure upgrades. With the cityhood, the business is now in command of municipal, common access, and even emergency protocols. Critics worry that this will lead to more frequent shore closures, lessening open oversight, and more authority over Musk and his deputies.
Driving along South Texas’s isolated Highway 4, Elon Musk’s footprint is undeniable. The place, when only known for its pecan thickets and echoes of the Civil War, is now dotted with towering rockets and murals of Musk’s face, according to Politici. What was once uninhabited has become Starbase, a budding company town populated almost entirely by SpaceX workers. According to Politico, Musk’s passions now extend beyond Starbase’s space exploration, he is starting a city from scratch, gaining near-total power over land, equipment, and local government, which astonishes andfunneers Brownsville residents.
Who will be Starbase’s administrator?
Robert” Bobby” Peden, a 36-year-old SpaceX veteran who serves as Texas Test and Launch’s vice president, will be the president. Jenna Petrzelka, a former businesses engineer at Starbase and a self-described charity, and Jordan Buss, the existing senior producer of Environmental Health and Safety at SpaceX, make up the panel.
No public occasions, no websites, or garden signs were visible during the low-profile plan. Each candidate resolutely declined to accept more than$ 1,110 in political contributions. Nearly 300 entitled residents, the majority of whom are SpaceX employees, supported the vote to integrate the new town.
All three elected officials either reside in Boca Chica Village, the place that is now known as Starbase, or have connections there. The establishment of the city is seen as a significant phase in Elon Musk’s long-term plan to expand SpaceX’s presence in South Texas.
Musk’s relationship with Texas
Over the past ten years, Musk’s appearance in Texas has steadily increased. Cameron County was chosen by SpaceX as its launcher in 2014 after scouting several sites and scouting for its location. Cameron County is notable for its close proximity to the equator, low population, and favorable tax deals. According to Politico, local authorities, who hoped to encourage economic growth in one of the country’s poorest areas, granted SpaceX a 10-year estate tax break.
Since then, the relationship has changed. While SpaceX has brought in work and money, it has also sparked unrest. People of Brownsville, a suburb of Houston, complain about rising rents and restricted beach exposure during jet tests. Protesters have gathered to protest what they perceive as creeping business meddling and climate risks, including the South Texas Environmental Justice Network.
Starbase then resembles a modern-day” company town,” full with SpaceX employees serving important local government functions.
