Elon Musk’s Starbase becomes official town after near-unanimous vote

Welcome to Starbase, Texas: Elon Musk’s Rocket-Building Hub Becomes Official Town

SpaceX employees vote to incorporate Starbase, granting new powers to the company’s Mars-focused complex

The rocket launch site that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk dubbed Starbase is now more than a nickname. On April 27, residents voted overwhelmingly to incorporate the SpaceX complex in South Texas as an official municipality.

According to local election results, 97% of the 218 votes cast favored incorporation. With fewer than 300 eligible voters—all of whom live within the proposed town’s boundaries and are largely SpaceX employees or affiliated residents—the result was widely anticipated.

Starbase, located near Brownsville, Texas, is home to SpaceX’s massive Starship development and launch facility, central to the company’s ambition to send humans to the Moon and Mars. The incorporation opens a new chapter in how SpaceX manages its infrastructure—and potentially in how private space development and governance intersect.

What happens next?

Before Starbase officially becomes a city, the election results must be certified by Cameron County officials, a procedural step expected to take place shortly. Once complete, the town can begin municipal operations.

According to Remi Garza, Cameron County’s elections administrator, that transition will involve discussions with local and state agencies to determine which government functions the new town will assume first.

“We’ll probably be having more specific conversations on governing functions they’ll take on right away,” said Eddie Treviño, the county’s top elected official.

What powers will Starbase have?

Under Texas law, incorporated towns have broad authority. Starbase could:

• Implement zoning and development codes,

• Hire municipal staff,

• Create budgets and raise revenue,

• Manage public infrastructure.

Additionally, pending state legislation could give Starbase the power to close nearby public beaches on weekdays to accommodate rocket operations—something that has stirred opposition from environmental groups and local residents.

Starbase’s leadership will begin with Bobby Peden, a SpaceX vice president, who was elected mayor. Texas conflict-of-interest laws will apply, especially given the overlap between municipal officials and their employment or financial ties to SpaceX.

What does SpaceX gain?

Incorporation gives SpaceX the ability to streamline infrastructure development and better support its growing workforce. In a previous letter, SpaceX executive Kathy Lueders said that town status would allow the company to take over public responsibilities more efficiently and foster community-building.

A post on X (formerly Twitter) from the official town account said:

“Becoming a city will help us continue building the best community possible for the men and women building the future of humanity’s place in space.”

Starbase currently employs about 3,400 people, and local officials expect that number to rise as the company expands Starship development and prepares for future missions.

What concerns are being raised?

While local leaders often highlight the economic benefits SpaceX brings to the Rio Grande Valley, not everyone supports the creation of a company town. Environmental activists have long criticized Starbase’s impact on the region’s wildlife and coastline, and some residents report noise and vibration from rocket tests.

Critics also warn that incorporation could further concentrate power in SpaceX’s hands, potentially diminishing community oversight or public access to nearby lands.

Starbase: the heart of Musk’s Mars vision

Starbase is the centerpiece of Musk’s interplanetary ambition. At the site, SpaceX builds and tests the towering Starship rocket, a 400-foot-tall reusable system intended to deliver astronauts to the Moon—and eventually Mars.

The site has hosted eight flight tests, some ending in midair explosions, others successfully demonstrating partial recovery of booster stages. Despite the challenges, SpaceX has won NASA contracts for upcoming Artemis Moon landings using Starship.

A sign near the complex proclaims “Gateway to Mars,” and according to Walter Isaacson’s biography, Musk once lived in a company-owned modular home on the site.

After the vote, Musk posted on X:

“Starbase started with one shovel.”

With its incorporation as an official municipality, Starbase, Texas, enters a new phase—one where the lines between private enterprise, public governance, and interplanetary ambition are increasingly blurred. Whether it becomes a model for future space industry towns or a regulatory outlier, Starbase is now more than a launchpad—it’s a place.

Stay tuned to The Horizons Times for the latest on space policy, commercial spaceflight, and the evolving future of life beyond Earth.