The remote area in southern Texas where Elon Musk’s SpaceX launches rockets is now officially a city. On Saturday, local residents voted to incorporate the site into a new municipality named Starbase.
The measure passed overwhelmingly, with 212 out of 283 eligible voters—most of whom are SpaceX employees—supporting the proposal, according to results from Cameron County. Only six votes opposed the plan. Following the result, Musk posted on X: “Starbase, Texas is now a real city!”
What is Starbase?
The newly incorporated city spans 1.6 square miles (3.9 sq km), a once-sparsely populated stretch of land near the Gulf Coast. SpaceX began acquiring property there in 2012. Since then, the area has transformed with company housing, rocket launch facilities, and even Musk’s personal residence.
Now officially recognized as a Type C city, Starbase will be governed by a mayor and two commissioners. This designation, meant for towns with fewer than 5,000 residents, allows officials to levy a property tax of up to 1.5% and oversee local planning and governance.
The city’s first mayor, Bobby Peden, a SpaceX vice president, was elected unopposed, as were the two new commissioners—also tied to the company.
Environmental and Legal Tensions
While the vote marks a new chapter for Musk’s ambitions in Texas, not everyone is celebrating. Environmental groups and some nearby residents have long raised concerns about SpaceX’s activities. Critics cite habitat destruction, rising light pollution, and debris from rocket launches. In 2024, SpaceX was fined nearly $150,000 by state and federal environmental regulators for improper wastewater disposal—penalties the company attributed to “paperwork disagreements.”
Local tensions may escalate further. A bill currently moving through the Texas legislature could allow Starbase officials to close roads and restrict access to Boca Chica Beach and Boca Chica State Park during launches—powers currently held by Cameron County. The county’s top official, Judge Eddie Treviño Jr, opposes the bill, warning it may set up jurisdictional conflicts with the new city.
Part of a Broader Texas Shift
Starbase is the latest sign of Musk’s deeper move into Texas. In recent years, he’s relocated the headquarters of X (formerly Twitter) and The Boring Company to the outskirts of Bastrop, near Austin. However, unlike Starbase, those projects haven’t led to new company housing or an incorporated city.
Despite the fanfare, about 500 people live near Starbase, and many remain skeptical of Musk’s growing footprint in the region.
