SpaceX is aiming for more than just the stars, the aerospace company is now seeking to create its own city in South Texas.
In a move that could reshape the future of the Rio Grande Valley, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has recently petitioned local officials to incorporate the Starbase site, located at Boca Chica Beach near the Mexican border, as an official Texas city.
On Thursday, SpaceX submitted a formal request to Cameron County officials, asking for a public election to incorporate Starbase as a city. The company, which has been using the site to build and test its Starship rockets, believes the move will support its continued growth while benefitting locals.
Kathryn Lueders, the general manager of Starbase, explained in a letter obtained by Valley Central, that incorporating the area would allow the company to expand its workforce and infrastructure, both crucial for achieving the big goals set for Starship’s and SpaceX’s future.
“We are investing billions in infrastructure and generating hundreds of millions in income and taxes for local businesses and government, all with the goal of making South Texas the Gateway to Mars.” Lueders wrote.
“SpaceX is proud to play a major role in the South Texas and Cameron County communities, which are home to thousands of our employees, with several hundred living at Starbase. To continue growing the workforce necessary to rapidly develop and manufacture Starship, we need the ability to grow Starbase as a community. That is why we are requesting that Cameron County call an election to enable the incorporation of Starbase as the newest city in the Rio Grande Valley,” she added.
The area of focus, which has been a hub for SpaceX’s rocket operations, sits at the southern tip of Texas, just off the Gulf of Mexico. It is a key location for the development and testing of the Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation spacecraft designed for “deep space” missions.
According to a report from WFAA News, more than 3,400 SpaceX employees and contractors currently work at Starbase, making it a significant anchor of the local area’s economy.
This is not the first time Musk has floated the idea of creating a city at Starbase.
Back in 2021, he took to social media to express a similar vision, simply posting, “Creating the city of Starbase, Texas.”
Musk’s growing influence in the area, fueled by SpaceX’s success and his recent decision to move the headquarters of both SpaceX and his social media platform X from California to Texas, as previously covered by DX, has led to endless curiosity and speculation about the entrepreneurs long-term plans in the lone star state.
However, the recent proposal to incorporate the area is still in its early stages, the next step would be for local voters to decide whether they support the official creation of the new “Starbase City”.
As of time of publication, Cameron County Officials have not responded to requests for comment on the potential incorporation of the new city, or its impact on the area.