Elon Musk’s Southern California-born Rocket Company, SpaceX’s South Texas home is on its way to become the official city with the galaxy’s name Starbase.
On Saturday, the vote to formally organize the Starbase as a city was approved by a biased margin among the small group of voters living there. All votes showed the tally was in favor of 212 people against 6, according to results published online by the Cameron County Elections Bureau.
Musk celebrated with a post on Social Platform X, saying, “It’s a real city right now!”
Starbase is the facility and launch site for the SpaceX Rocket program, which is contracted with the Department of Defense and NASA, and aims to bring astronauts back to the moon and send them back to Mars one day.
Musk first came up with the idea of a star-based in 2021, and it was almost certain that the new city would be approved. Of the 283 eligible voters in the region, most are considered to be star base workers.
The election victory was personal to Musk. The billionaire’s popularity dipped as he became the public face wielding a chainsaw of President Trump’s federal agency cuts, and his Tesla auto company’s profits plummeted.
SpaceX generally attracts extensive support from local officials for work and investment in the area.
However, the creation of the official company town has attracted critics who are concerned about expanding personal control over the area with masks.
Companions’ efforts to vote for the city include a state legislative bill to transfer that power from the county to the mayor of Newtown and city council.
All of these measures come as SpaceX, previously headquartered in Hawthorne, is seeking permission from federal authorities to increase the number of launches from 5 to 25 per year.
The city, located at the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border, is only 1.5 square miles, crossed by several roads, packed into airflow trailers and modest mid-century homes.
SpaceX officials did not say exactly why they wanted a company town, but did not respond to email requests for comment.
“We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community,” Starbase general manager Kathryn Ludays wrote to local officials in 2024, demanding that they win city issues on the ballot.
The letter said the company already controls “schooling and health care regulations” for roads and utilities as well as those living on property.
SpaceX officials told lawmakers that granting city officials to close beaches would streamline the launch operations. SpaceX Rocket has been launched, engine testing and just moving certain equipment around the launch base will require local highway closures and access to Bocachica State Park and Bocachica Beach.
Critics say the Beach Closures Bureau should remain in the county government. County government represents a larger population that uses beaches and parks. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. said the county is working well with SpaceX and there is no need for change.
Another proposed bill would be a Class B misdemeanor who will be punished for up to 180 days in prison if someone fails to comply with an order to evacuate the beach.
The South Texas Environmental Justice Network, which organized a protest against the city’s voting and beach access issues, held another demonstration Saturday with dozens of people in its presence.
Hosset Hinojosa, whose young daughter had built a sandcastle nearby, said she was taking part in order to ensure continued access to the beach, which her family has enjoyed for generations.
Using SpaceX, Hinojosa said:
Protest organizer Christopher Basaldo, a member of the Texas Kariso/Comekurd state, said his ancestors were in areas where they met the Gulf of Mexico for a long time.
“It’s not just important,” he said, “it’s sacred.”
Gonzalez and Vertuno write for the Associated Press, reporting from McAllen and Austin, Texas, respectively.
