Elon Musk’s Starbase could soon become the newest city in Texas

The south Texas home of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company is on its way to becoming an official city with a galactic name: Starbase.

A vote Saturday to formally organize Starbase as a city was approved by a lopsided margin by a small group of voters who live there and are mostly Musk’s employees at SpaceX.

Starbase is the facility and launch site for the SpaceX rocket program that is under contract with the Department of Defence and NASA that hopes to send astronauts back to the moon and someday to Mars.

Musk first floated the idea of Starbase in 2021 and approval of the new city was all but certain. Of the 283 eligible voters in the area, most are believed to be Starbase workers.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s election victory last November has been personal for Musk. The billionaire’s popularity has diminished since he became the chainsaw-wielding public face of the Trump administration’s federal job and spending cuts, and profits at his Tesla car company have plummeted. 

SpaceX has generally drawn widespread support from local officials for its jobs and investment in the area. 

But the creation of an official company town has also drawn critics who worry it will expand Musk’s personal control over the area, with potential authority to close a popular beach and state park for launches.

Companion efforts to the city vote include bills in the state legislature to shift that authority from the county to the new town’s mayor and city council. 

All these measures come as SpaceX is asking federal authorities for permission to increase the number of south Texas launches from five to 25 a year.

The city at the southern tip of Texas near the Mexico border is only about 3.9 square kilometres, crisscrossed by a few roads and dappled with airstream trailers and modest mid-century homes. 

Beach access a contention point among locals

SpaceX officials have said little about exactly why they to want a company town and did not respond to emailed requests for comment. 

“We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community,” Starbase general manager Kathryn Lueders wrote to local officials in 2024 with the request to get the city issue on the ballot.

The letter said the company already manages roads and utilities, as well as “the provisions of schooling and medical care” for those living on the property.

SpaceX officials have told lawmakers that granting the city authority to close the beach would streamline launch operations. SpaceX rocket launches and engine tests, and even just moving certain equipment around the launch base requires the closure of a local highway and access to Boca Chica State Park and Boca Chica Beach.

Critics say beach closure authority should stay 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 is no need for change.

Another proposed bill would make it a Class B misdemeanour with up to 180 days in jail if someone doesn’t comply with an order to evacuate the beach. 

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

Josette Hinojosa, whose young daughter was building sandcastles nearby, said she was taking part 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 tribe, said his ancestors have long been in the area, where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf. 

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