In a post on social platform X, Musk celebrates the outcome, saying, “It’s a real city right now!”
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Rocket Company has the official city name of Starbase, a South Texas home.
On May 3, the vote to formally reincorporate Starbase was approved as a city among a small group of people living in the Bocachica area and mostly SpaceX employees. Residents voted between 21 and 6 votes to organize the area as Starbase City, according to online results from the Cameron County Elections Bureau.
Starbase is the launch site and basic operation of Musk’s SpaceX Rocket program, and is planning to sign NASA and Pentagon to bring the astronaut back to the moon and eventually send it back to Mars.
In 2021, Musk first came to the idea of making the area a Starbase city. Many of the 283 eligible voters in the area are believed to be star-based employees, so votes to approve the city are likely to pass.
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Many local officials praise SpaceX for their work and investment in the areas around the South Texas business base.
Others have raised concerns about turning the base into an official company town, suggesting that masks’ personal reach could be expanded to the region, including closing popular beaches and state parks for rocket launches.
The Texas Legislature has companion efforts, including bills, moving powers from Cameron County to the new Star-based mayor and city council.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is seeking permission from federal authorities to increase the number of South Texas launches from five to 25 a year.
Starbase is located at the southern tip of Texas, near the US-Mexico border, and is approximately 1.5 square miles. Some roads cross it with some airflow trailers and medieval homes scattered.
In 2024, Starbase general manager Kathryn Lueders wrote to local officials requesting they vote for the city.
“We need the ability to develop a starbase as a community,” she said.
The letter explained how SpaceX currently manages roads and utilities, including “schooling and health care regulations” for all who live in the property.
Company officials told lawmakers that granting Starbase authority to close beaches would improve launch operations. The company’s launch and engine testing requires local highway closures and access to Bocachica State Park and Bocachica Beach to transport certain equipment.
Critics believe the Beach Closures Bureau should instead stay in the county government. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. previously said the county has been working well with SpaceX and believes there is no reason for change.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
