Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company will now have an official city name for its South Texas home—Starbase.
On May 3, a vote to formally reincorporate Starbase as a city was approved among a small group of people who live in the Boca Chica area and are mostly SpaceX employees. Residents voted 21–6 to organize the area as the city of Starbase, according to online results by the Cameron County Elections Department.
Starbase is the launch site and base operations for Musk’s SpaceX rocket program, which contracts with NASA and the Pentagon and plans to send astronauts back to the moon and eventually Mars.
In 2021, Musk first floated the idea of making the area the city of Starbase. Since much of the 283 eligible voters in the area are believed to be Starbase employees, the vote to approve the city was likely to pass.
Many local officials have praised SpaceX for its jobs and investments into the area around its base of operations in South Texas.
Others have raised concerns about turning the base into an official company town, suggesting it could expand Musk’s personal reach over the area, including closing a popular beach and state park for rocket launches.
There are also companion efforts, including bills, in the Texas state Legislature to move authority from Cameron County to Starbase’s new mayor and city council.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is trying to get permission from federal authorities to increase the number of launches in South Texas from five to 25 a year.
Starbase is located at the southern tip of Texas near the U.S.–Mexico border and is roughly 1.5 square miles. Several roads crisscross it with a few airstream trailers and midcentury homes scattered about.
In 2024, Starbase General Manager Kathryn Lueders wrote to local officials requesting to get the city vote on the ballot.
“We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community,” she said.
The letter described how SpaceX currently manages roads and utilities, including the “provisions of schooling and medical care” for everyone who lives on the property.
Company officials have told lawmakers that granting Starbase the authority to close the beach would improve launch operations. The company’s launches and engine tests require the closure of a local highway and access to Boca Chica State Park and Boca Chica Beach to transport certain equipment.
Critics instead believe the beach closure authority should remain with the county government, which oversees a larger population with access to the beach and park. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. previously said the county has worked well with SpaceX and believes there is no reason for change.
