Starbase is the facility and launch site for SpaceX Rocket, a contract with the Department of Defense and NASA, hoping to send astronauts back to the moon and to Mars one day.
Musk first proposed the idea of Starbucks in 2021, and the recognition of the new city is almost certain. Of the 283 qualified voters in the region, most are considered Starbucks workers.
The election victory is personal to Musk. The billionaire's popularity has been declining since he became the federal job of President Donald Trump and the public face of spending-cutting swing, with profits at his Tesla auto company plummeting.
SpaceX is often supported extensively in the work of local officials and investment in the region. But establishing a formal corporate town has also attracted critics who fear it will expand Musk’s personal control over the area and potentially close popular beaches and state parks for launch. Peer efforts to vote on the city include bills from the state legislature that transfers that power from the county to the mayor and city council.
As SpaceX requires federal authorities to permit, the number of launches in South Texas has increased from five to 25 per year.
The city at the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border is only about 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers), crisscrossing and spreading several roads covered with airflow trailers and modest medieval houses.
SpaceX officials barely said the exact statement they wanted a corporate town without responding to an email request for comment.
“We need to be a constellation of a community,” Starbucks general manager Kathryn Lueders wrote to local officials in 2024, asking the city to be issued on the ballot.
The letter said the company has managed roads and utilities and “stipulations for schools and health care services” for people living on the property.
SpaceX officials told lawmakers that giving cities permission to close beaches would simplify launch operations. SpaceX Rocket launches and engine testing, even just moving certain devices on the launch base, require closing local highways and entering Boca Chica State Park and Boca Chica Beach.
Critics say the Beach Close Authority should remain in the county, which represents a wide population using beaches and parks. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino (Jr.) said the county worked well with SpaceX and no changes were required.
If someone fails to comply with the order to evacuate the beach, another proposed bill will make it a Class B misdemeanor, up to 180 days.
The South Texas Environmental Justice Network organized protests against city votes and beach visits, planning a protest Saturday night as polls closed.
