Elon Musk’s effort to colonize Mars has officially started in South Texas with the incorporation of Musk’s first town. But don’t expect Starbase to become the Lone Star State’s next Texas-sized metropolis.
Four years after Musk introduced the idea of a SpaceX town via social media, residents of the village formerly known as Boca Chica voted to incorporate the utilitarian development around SpaceX facilities into a new town. The Saturday vote passed by a nearly 95 percent margin, with 218 people voting.
The concept of a town for SpaceX employees evokes images of the early 20th century company town, in which employees live in company-provided housing, worship in company-built churches and shop in company stores.
It’s not far from the truth.
Musk and his companies have collected at least 900 acres around Cameron County, home to Boca Chica, Brownsville and Port Isabel.
Starbase is a 1.45-square-mile town of about 500 people, including 120 children, located on the southern tip of Texas, about 23 miles east of Brownsville. Less than a mile down the road from SpaceX facilities, the town is dotted with Airstream trailers and modest prefabricated homes (all but four owned by SpaceX) along “Meme Street.”
This one-saloon town is home to Astropub, a private bar and restaurant for employees outfitted with a roof that’s a replica of the wings of Starship prototype MK1.
Musk also has plans to open a $6 million restaurant, a $9 million shopping center, a $500,000 sushi restaurant, and a rec center for employees near the launch site.
But a few streets of homes will probably be the extent of Starbase’s sprawl. The town is bounded by Boca Chica State Park to the east, Las Palomas Wildlife Management Area to the south and the South Bay to the north and west.
Star power
Saturday’s vote means Starbase is now a Type C municipality, a city that’s governed by a commission consisting of two commissioners and a mayor.
They’re required to hold a public meeting once a month and can fund city functions through property and sales tax.
Musk is also poised to tighten his control on land in South Texas with a much-debated proposal that’s moving through the Texas Legislature.
The Texas House State Affairs Committee revived Senate Bill 2188 after voting it down two days before. The bill, which was introduced by state Sen. Adam Hinojosa, a Republican from Corpus Christi, would give the local mayor and commissioners the authority to close the beach for weekday flight activities.
The incorporation means the authority to close beaches would be in the hands of the company.
The Texas Tribune identified the three people poised to assume public office should the incorporation vote pass. Twelve-year SpaceX veteran Bobby Peden would be mayor. Senior director of Environmental Health and Safety for SpaceX Jordan Buss would become a commissioner; Jenna Petrzelka, who worked at SpaceX between 2012 and 2024, would be the other.
The legislation has drawn the ire of activists and local public officials, including Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., who say the proposal provides a blueprint for undermining public access to beaches.
The Starbase experience
Curious about what it’s like at Starbase but not willing to travel to the southernmost tip of Texas?
The internet is rife with accounts from Musk fans and space enthusiasts who document their pilgrimages to the launch site for others to emulate. They paint a stark picture of roughing it in the remote desert.
Fans suggest visitors stay in Brownsville or South Padre Island, which is a roundabout 40 mile-trip from Starbase; there are no lodging options in Boca Chica. Multiple posts warn there’s no public restrooms, water fountains or food options, and cell service is spotty.
The closest gas station is a Stripes, which is about 20 minutes from Starbase, according to Ellie in Space, a space enthusiast and creator who’s been to the town 12 times.
“And always remember, Starbase visitors have NO access to gas, water, food or toilets,” reddit user MoreGranularity bade.
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