IT’S OFFICIAL! Starbase, Texas, is now a city! What's next for SpaceX?
On May 3, 2025, the residents of Boca Chica Village in Cameron County, Texas, voted with a majority of in-favor votes for the incorporation of their community as the City of Starbase, Texas. Winning by a landslide of 212 votes in favor and 6 against, this marks a new moment for everyone involved. This will mark Texas’s latest city inside this specific US state, which will also help SpaceX’s goals of making this city the “Gateway to Mars.”
Vote statistics
Results as of 9:00 PM (Website of Cameron County Elections Department)
During this election, people voted for three things specifically for Starbase: the incorporation itself, a new mayor, and 2 new commissioners. All of these are needed in order for Starbase to operate well as a city. The results are as follows:
Incorporation of Starbase as a City of Texas
212 voters agreed (97.25%) and 6 voters disagreed (2.75%)
The new Mayor of Starbase
216 voters (100%) were in favor of Bobby Peden
(2) New Commissioners for Starbase, Texas
177 voters (48.49%) were in favor of Jordan Buss
188 voters (51.51% were in favor of Jenna Petrzelka
These officials are known to be closely tied to SpaceX operations, where Bobby Peden is SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, while commissioners Jordan Buss and Jenna Petrzelka are also current or former SpaceX employees. This will help streamline Starbase’s operations as a city and for a smoother communication to occur between SpaceX and the elected government employees.
A space-fairing city
Starbase is located in the municipality of Boca Chica in the state of Texas, USA. According to some news sources, it states that Starbase will cover about 1½ square miles (3.88 square kilometers). Since SpaceX began operations in 2014, the area has gone from large swaths of land with nothing to a thriving place where rockets can be tested, launched, and landed. By incorporating Starbase as a city, SpaceX can further develop this place into a sustainable one, where its residents and workers can make this place their home in the years that will follow. This will help them in their goal of making Starbase the “Gateway to Mars.”
New strategic advantages for SpaceX
Incorporating Starbase as a city in Texas allows SpaceX to attain various benefits. This will help them in their goal of making Starbase the “Gateway to Mars.”
Community Development - As Starbase is now a city supported by a government that can focus on the city itself, it can further develop to support a larger workforce and residents. They can add more infrastructure that will make living in Starbase more comfortable for them and future visitors and tourists.
Better Governance - As Starbase is now a city supported by a government that can focus on the city itself, governance within the city will be better implemented. Projects will be better set in place to develop infrastructure to help access basic amenities that were hard to access before, due to it being far away from the main city.
Launch Operations Control - As Starbase is now a city supported by a government that can focus on the city itself, they have greater control over road closures during rocket transport or rocket launches, depending on the situation. It is important to remember, though, that limitations were set in place to maintain balance with some areas that were made to be still accessible to the public.
Balancing authority and accessibility
Despite SpaceX's control over road closures within areas that are managed by SpaceX, it is important to remember that the beach is still not owned by them, and they would need to ask permission within Cameron County to close that area too during launches, just like previous procedures. This is because of the Texas Open Beaches Act, which allows the public to have the free and unrestricted right of ingress and egress to the state-owned beaches.
In 2025, legislative efforts were made to transfer authority over weekday closures of Boca Chica Beach and the roads leading to it from Cameron County to the city of Brownsville (now Starbase). However, the bill was voted down by the Texas House State Affairs Committee, maintaining the county's control over such closures. Through this, we can maintain a balance over the development of rockets and the freedom to access our own planet's beautiful places, such as the beaches near the city of Starbase.
Some environmental groups and residents have voiced concerns about potential overreach by a corporate-led government, citing risks of limited public access and unchecked development.
Despite these concerns, whatever we hope is for the best positive future to occur within Starbase and not these negative issues. Through careful governance, community engagement, and adherence to existing legal protections, it is possible to pursue progress without sacrificing public interest or natural beauty.
The future of spaceflight awaits
The incorporation of Starbase marks a significant milestone in Elon Musk’s vision for a dedicated spaceport city, further solidifying SpaceX’s presence in South Texas. As the city develops, balancing the interests of SpaceX with those of the local community and environment will be essential to ensure sustainable growth and mutual benefit. This will help them attain the benefits that spaceflight has while also maintaining a sense of collaboration with the communities involved in such a big change
This is KYNNMASTER 123 for The Weekly Spaceman, see you next time! 😁
SOURCES:
Election Night Results (Cameron County Elections Department)
Texas to vote on turning SpaceX headquarters into city called Starbase - The Washington Post
Voters overwhelmingly approve creating Starbase city near SpaceX
Texas Open Beaches Act - Wikipedia
(and more, to be updated later on)
