SpaceX presents official petition to create municipality near rocket launch base
Elon Musk took a decisive step towards creating his own city in Texas. Officials in December presented an official petition to Cameron County to establish a new municipality called Starbase, near Boca Chica Beach.
The project envisages a community with around 500 inhabitants, including more than 100 children, in an area of 3.9 square kilometers. Almost all residents are SpaceX employees and live in company-owned properties.
“SpaceX is the primary landowner in the proposed area and, with few exceptions, owns all of the properties,” said Richard Cardile, senior operations manager at the spaceport, to The New York Times.
The company appointed Gunnar Milburn, SpaceX security manager, to be the first mayor. The city creation process depends (active voice) on county approval and an election with local residents.
Kathryn Lueders, SpaceX general manager for Starbase, highlights that the company already manages public services, education and healthcare in the region. “Incorporation would transfer the management of some of these functions to a more appropriate public body”he explains.
The project faces resistance from environmental groups concerned about the impact of rocket launches on the coast. Residents of Brownsville, a city 32 kilometers away, criticize the closure of roads and blocking access to the beach during the launches.
Elon Musk is also considering the possibility of creating a similar venture near Austin, where his companies, including SpaceX, maintain an expanding campus. The region is home to facilities for the Boring Company and, soon, offices for the social network X.
