Elon Musk plans to turn SpaceX's Starbase into hi-tech city
What's the story
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced plans to turn SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas into an official city. Musk took to social media platform X to announce the development, saying, "SpaceX HQ will now officially be in the city of Starbase, Texas!" A formal request to hold an election to incorporate Starbase has been filed with Cameron County officials.
Site significance
SpaceX's Starbase: A hub for Moon and Mars missions
The proposed city would be located at Boca Chica Beach near the Mexican border. If approved, it would be the newest city in Texas's Rio Grande Valley. This comes after Musk's decision earlier this year to move SpaceX's headquarters from California to Texas, citing a new gender identity law in California as a motivating factor. SpaceX has also moved its incorporation from Delaware to Texas this year.
Workforce expansion
Starbase: A growing community for SpaceX's workforce
Starbase currently employs more than 3,400 full-time employees and contractors. It is the main site for building, testing, and launching SpaceX's Starship rockets for Moon and Mars missions. Despite its growth, SpaceX has been criticized by local environmental groups over pollution concerns. However, SpaceX insists that state assessments have found no environmental risks from its activities.
City creation
Musk's previous mentions of creating a city at Starbase
This isn't Musk's first mention of building a city at Starbase; he tweeted about it in 2021 but hadn't filed an official petition until now. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. confirmed this is the first official petition and said it will be reviewed for compliance with statutory requirements. The move follows Musk's previous relocation of Tesla's HQ to Texas in 2021 and personal residence change to Texas, where there is no state income tax on individuals.