Science & technology

Elon Musk's Starbase Becomes Official City in Texas

MAY 5 2025·Updated MAY 6 2025

Story

Above: The SpaceX Starship sits on the launch pad before its sixth flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Nov. 17, 2024. Image credit: Chandan Khanna/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

Residents of Boca Chica, Texas, overwhelmingly voted 212-6 on Sunday to incorporate SpaceX's launch site as the new city of Starbase. This would fulfill Elon Musk's vision, first proposed in 2021, for a municipality centered around his rocket company.
Verge
BBC News
Vanity Fair
The 1.5-square-mile area will be governed by three officials with SpaceX ties who ran unopposed: Mayor Bobby Peden, a SpaceX vice president, and commissioners Jordan Buss and Jenna Petrzelka, all current or former company employees.
Mysanantonio
Business Insider
According to SpaceX senior manager Robert Cardile's December 2024 affidavit, most of the 283 eligible voters were SpaceX employees or their family members. The company owns nearly all the property within the proposed city boundaries.
Verge
The Telegraph
The incorporation gives the new city authority over planning, taxation, and local regulations. As a Type C municipality, which is designated for communities with fewer than 5,000 residents, officials can levy property taxes up to 1.5%.
FOX News
BBC News
A bill in the Texas legislature could transfer control over beach and highway closures during rocket launches from Cameron County to the new city, potentially increasing SpaceX's ability to conduct more frequent launches.
ap
Guardian
In 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality fined SpaceX nearly $150,000 for dumping wastewater.
FOX News
BBC News

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Becoming a city will help build the best community possible for the people, creating humanity's future in space. SpaceX already manages roads, utilities, schooling, and medical care for residents, and city status streamlines operations for a company with critical Department of Defense and NASA contracts. The incorporation will bring about economic benefits to the entire Rio Grande Valley.

FOX 7 Austin

Mysanantonio

Narrative B

This corporate takeover gives Elon Musk unprecedented control over public resources. For generations, residents have visited Boca Chica beach for fishing, swimming, and recreation, and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe has spiritual ties to the beach that should remain accessible to everyone. Local officials are allowing the company to increase environmentally destructive activities.

Dw.Com

Business Insider