Boca Chica becomes 'Starbase': Musk secures control with city status

Boca Chica, where Elon Musk has already established a launch base for SpaceX rockets, is a small locality in Cameron County, Texas, located at the eastern edge of the US-Mexico border. Journalists from "The Guardian" describe this place as full of old 20th-century homes, trailers, and palm trees. Although the town covers an area of just under 1.5 square miles, it features a monumental, nearly 10-foot-tall golden bust of Elon Musk with a plaque that reads "ELON aka Memelord." There's also a "Meme Street" and a bar symbolically named "Occupy Mars."

As a result of a referendum, several hundred residents decided to transform Boca Chica into the city of Starbase. This move was almost particular given that out of 500 residents, 260 are SpaceX employees. The proposal to change the town’s name passed by a vote of 212 to 6, despite earlier protests. A group of activists from the South Texas Environmental Justice Network opposed it, arguing that the creation of Starbase would limit access to the city beach and public areas. They urged Texas residents to send protest emails to the authorities.

"It’s official: Starbase is now an incorporated city in Texas. With local governance in place, we are excited to continue building the best city for our community," the city stated on the X platform.

Achieving city status for Starbase means that the SpaceX launch base in Texas has become an official administrative unit with its local government, headed by a mayor and a board of commissioners, mostly connected to SpaceX. This gives SpaceX greater autonomy in managing infrastructure, investments, and regional development, facilitating the company's organization of rocket launches and management of local public services, roads, and utilities.

This development brings SpaceX closer to its plan to increase the number of rocket launches from 5 to 25 annually, which requires federal permission and involves more frequent road closures and beach access restrictions. With these powers, Starbase will decide on closures that previously fell under the jurisdiction of Cameron County authorities, including the closure of beaches and public areas.

Granting city status to Starbase provides SpaceX with greater control over access to areas around the base, crucial for safety and space operations. However, it also sparks controversy. Critics fear it will expand Musk's control and authority over the areas, potentially leading to the closure of public beaches and parts of Boca Chica State Park. These concerns have fueled protests by residents and environmental organizations.

Starbase serves as a strategic location for SpaceX, acting as a rocket launch site under contracts with NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense. Although the billionaire will not formally manage the city of Starbase, in practice, it will function as his corporate town. The first mayor is 36-year-old Bobby Peden, the Vice President of Testing and Launch Operations at SpaceX. The creation of Starbase affords Musk greater opportunities to manage the area, aiding SpaceX’s operations and enabling road closures during rocket launches.