SpaceX has a new mission: turn the Starbase space base into a new Texas city.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s company sent a letter to local authorities on Thursday requesting that an election be held to convert Starbase — the facility in South Texas where SpaceX builds and launches its massive Starship rockets — in an incorporated city. Area residents filed the petition, according to the company.
The area is located at the southern tip of Texas, in Boca Chica Beach, near the border with Mexico. Musk announced a few months ago that he was in the process of moving the headquarters of SpaceX and his social media company X from California to Texas.
“To continue growing the workforce needed to develop and manufacture Starship more quickly, we need the ability to grow Starbase as a community. That is why we are requesting that Cameron County call an election to allow the incorporation of Starbase as the newest city in the Rio Grande Valley,” Kathryn Lueders, Starbase general manager, wrote in a letter to the county.
Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr., the county’s top elected official, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
It is not the first time that the possibility of turning Starbase into a city has been raised. Musk proposed the idea in 2021 when he posted on social media: “Creating the city of Starbase, Texas.”
More than 3,400 full-time SpaceX employees and contractors work at Starbase, according to a local impact study Treviño issued earlier this year.
Some residents have spoken out against SpaceX’s rapid expansion in the region. A group called Save RGV filed a lawsuit against the company in July, accusing it of environmental violations and dumping contaminated water into a nearby bay. SpaceX responded that a state review found no environmental risks and called the lawsuit “frivolous.”
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.
Add Comment