Elon Musk can now add the city of Texas to a long list of risks he juggles. Over the weekend, the SpaceX development website in Boca Chica, Texas (known for testing the Starship rocket that launched the company), officially merged into the city after residents overwhelmingly voted for the move.
“Being a city will help us continue to build the best communities to build the best communities to build the future of humanity in space,” Stabeth’s official X account wrote, the post was created shortly after the vote.
The newly merged city spans about 1.5 square miles and is located 20 miles outside Brownsville, Texas. It is mainly the home of more than 200 SpaceX employees and their families. According to the Cameron County results report, 212 votes were passed, with only 6 votes against it.
For the past six years, SpaceX used the site, now known as Starbase, as the main launch facility for its major Starship, the world's largest rocket and a key part of Musk's colonization of Mars. The area also includes SpaceX manufacturing facilities, employee housing, grocery stores and employee-only Astropub restaurants.
SpaceX employees will serve as mayor
The vote also installed three current and former SpaceX employees in key leadership roles. Bobby Peden, a 12-year SpaceX veteran, currently serves as vice president of testing and launch in Texas, and will serve as mayor. Former Operations Engineering Manager Jenna Petrzelka and SpaceX Senior Director of Environmental Health and Safety Jordan Buss were elected as City Commissioners.
Musk has long been pushing Starbucks to become a city, although he has not yet shared his plans for the company's future. As SpaceX continues to develop and test rockets, bureaucratic barriers are expected and expected to alleviate. For example, the company currently requires local approval to close nearby beaches and parks for release, which could become more streamlined under urban governance.
Star votes mark Musk facing increasing criticism in recent months, marking a rare victory. As head of the Trump administration’s Department of Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has played a strong opposition in cutting the federal budget and workforce. His rising political profile has also sparked protests and investors' anxiety about his electric car company Tesla.
Starbase is not Musk's only footprint in Texas. Bastrop County, near Austin, Texas, has played an increasingly important role in the small company's tunnel business. The area is also reportedly considered a possible location for another corporate town.
