SpaceX's Starbase in Texas Aims for Municipal Status: Voters, Mainly Space Company Employees, Favor City Recognition
A lively community nestled in southern Texas, home to tech mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX, is renaming itself to Starbase after almost all its residents, who are predominantly SpaceX employees, supported the change in a bid to officially transform it into a city.
In a vote on Saturday, 212 out of nearly 300 eligible voters showed their approval for the name change at the site near Boca Chica Bay, bordering Mexico. Just six opposing votes were recorded.
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- Vice president of testing and launches at SpaceX, Bobby Peden, emerged as the new mayor.
- Documents reveal approximately 500 people reside around the base in Cameron County, with most lands owned by SpaceX or its employees.
- Musk, a notable donor to former US President Donald Trump and a supporter of European far-right groups, made the Starbase name suggestion on a social media platform he owns.
The vote took place at a challenging time for Musk, as he anticipates scaling back his role within the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency to focus more on his electric car company, Tesla.
Four years ago, Musk first proposed the Starbase name during a visit to the facility, which serves as a crucial testing ground for SpaceX's rocket launches. Last December, General Manager of SpaceX Kathryn Lueders petitioned local authorities to grant the site municipality status.
The vote's outcome was not unexpected, paving the way for Starbase to control building permits, evade regulatory hurdles, collect taxes, and write local law.
However, not everyone has embraced the notion of a SpaceX-centric town. Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, expressed environmental concerns, such as the risk of increased pollution, habitat destruction, and negative impacts on wildlife.
Previously, reports in 2024 suggested SpaceX's rockets had damaged wild bird nests. In response, Musk pledged to abstain from eating omelettes for a week. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency and Texas authorities found SpaceX responsible for recurring spills and pollutant releases into Texas waterways.
Despite environmental concerns, Lueders argued in her December letter that SpaceX already invested in infrastructure like roads, educational services, and medical care at the site. She reassured that the city's creation would not jeopardize efforts to mitigate the base's environmental impact.
- Elon Musk's SpaceX city, Starbase, has a new mayor after a vote, with Bobby Peden, the vice president of testing and launches, taking the position.2.Out of nearly 300 eligible voters, 212 approved the name change for the site near Boca Chica Bay, with six opposing votes.
- Approximately 500 people reside around the Starbase in Cameron County, with most lands owned by SpaceX or its employees.
- Musk, known for his support of former US President Donald Trump and European far-right groups, suggested the Starbase name on a social media platform he owns.
- Musk faces challenges as he prepares to scale back his role in the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency to focus on his electric car company, Tesla.
- Four years ago, Musk first proposed the Starbase name during a visit to the facility, which serves as a crucial testing ground for SpaceX's rocket launches.
- The vote paves the way for Starbase to control building permits, evade regulatory hurdles, collect taxes, and write local law.
- Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, raised concerns about the potential increase in pollution, habitat destruction, and negative impacts on wildlife due to the SpaceX-centric town's creation.
