Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken a formal step toward turning its Starship launch site in South Texas, like Starbase, into an incorporated city.
In a letter sent to officials on Thursday, the company called for elections to approve the constitution. SpaceX said the petition was filed through citizens of the domain recently known as Starbase.
The area, on Boca Chica Beach near the Mexican border, is at the southern tip of Texas. Earlier this year, Musk revealed plans to move the headquarters of SpaceX and its social media company, X, from California to Texas.
The Starbase site currently employs more than 3,400 full-time SpaceX workers and contractors, according to an impact study released by Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. earlier this year.
Kathryn Lueders, executive leader of Starbase, wrote in a letter to the county: “To continue to grow, the workforce wanted to expand and manufacture Starship, we want the ability to grow Starbase as a community. That is why we are asking Cameron County to convene elections to allow Starbase to incorporate as the last city in the Rio Grande Valley.
The idea of transforming Starbase into its own city isn’t new. Musk first floated the concept in 2021 with a simple social media post stating, “Creating the city of Starbase, Texas.”
Treviño indicated that the concept was discussed two years ago, this was the first time that an official request for incorporation was presented.
“Our judicial and electoral management will review the petition, see if it meets all the legal requirements and then we will move on from there,” Treviño said Thursday.
SpaceX’s expansion into the region has sparked resistance from some residents. In July, Save RGV filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging environmental violations and adding polluted water discharges into the nearby bay.
SpaceX rejected the claims, citing a state that found no environmental hazards and calling the lawsuit “frivolous. “
President-elect Donald Trump traveled to South Texas in November to attend the launch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket with Musk.
Although the launch was considered a success, SpaceX decided not to attempt to catch the booster with its giant mechanical arms as originally planned. The attempt was aborted 4 minutes into the test flight for unspecified reasons and the booster landed in the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot explained that the flight director opted against returning the booster to the launch site because the criteria for the catch were not met, though he did not elaborate on the specifics.
Musk endorsed Trump for president earlier this year. Musk’s super PAC gained attention for holding a $1 million daily giveaway aimed at registered voters in key swing states.
After endorsing the Republican presidential candidate, Musk contributed millions of his own budget to pro-Trump super PACs and appeared to stand alongside Trump at crusading rallies.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
Michael D. Carroll is a Newsweek editor based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. It focuses on covering live, US and UK news, politics and global issues, with a focus on the Middle East. He has extensively covered conflicts, extreme weather events and disasters. Michael joined Newsweek in 2025 after founding and running news company Media Drum World and had previously worked in a number of data outlets in the UK. Agencies. She graduated from the University of Wales in Swansea, where she studied fashion history. Michael is an experienced curator of editorial photography and the former photography e-book ‘Retrographic: History in Living Colour’. You can contact Michael by emailing m. carroll@newsweek. com. Languages: English.