SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, has proposed an ambitious plan to transform its Starbase site into an officially incorporated city in Texas. The idea is driven by the need for a growing workforce to meet the demands of manufacturing the Starship rocket and to establish a self-sustaining community. The company has sent a formal request to local officials to hold an election to make this vision a reality.
On Thursday, SpaceX submitted a petition to Cameron County officials, requesting that they call an election to incorporate Starbase as a new city. This request follows previous discussions, including Musk’s 2021 social media post about the creation of the city of Starbase. According to Kathryn Lueders, the general manager of Starbase, the incorporation would allow the area to grow as a community, vital for supporting the workforce needed to rapidly develop and manufacture Starship.
“We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community to continue expanding our workforce and develop Starship,” Lueders explained in a letter to the county. The site is located at Boca Chica Beach, near the Mexican border, on the southern tip of Texas.
Earlier this year, Musk announced that SpaceX and his social media company X would be moving their headquarters from California to Texas. This shift reflects Musk’s long-term vision of building a sustainable workforce and community at Starbase. More than 3,400 full-time employees and contractors are already working at the site, according to a local impact study conducted by the county.
SpaceX’s rapid expansion in the region is crucial for its mission to manufacture and launch Starship rockets. However, this growth has not come without challenges.
While SpaceX’s growth has been welcomed by many, it has sparked opposition from some local groups. A group named Save RGV sued SpaceX earlier this year over alleged environmental violations, claiming the company had been dumping polluted water into the nearby bay. SpaceX has defended itself, stating that a state review found no environmental risks, and it dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous.”
The Cameron County Judge, Eddie Treviño Jr., acknowledged that the idea of creating a city out of Starbase was first raised in 2021 but noted that this was the first official petition. Treviño mentioned that the county’s legal and elections administration would review the petition to ensure it met all statutory requirements before moving forward.
If approved, the incorporation of Starbase would mark a significant milestone for SpaceX’s ambitions to establish a fully operational, self-sustained community in southern Texas. This would not only support the company's efforts to manufacture and launch Starship rockets but also provide a base for further innovation in the aerospace industry.