Posted on Dec 13, 2024 Elon Musk first hinted at plans for a Starbase city in 2021. Credit: Deposit Photos Share Elon Musk wants SpaceX’s South Texas Starbase facility to expand into its own, legally demarcated city. The billionaire and incoming Trump administration advisor announced the new municipal plans on December 12th on his social media platform, X. Although Musk claimed “SpaceX HQ will now officially be in the city of Starbase, Texas,” the letter of intent is only a petition to schedule the local election required for building a new town close to the Mexican border near Boca Chica Beach. SpaceX HQ will now officially be in the city of Starbase, Texas! https://t.co/zpN4t3mJQT — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 13, 2024 Starbase is currently the primary facility used to advance SpaceX’s Starship project, which aims to build the world’s largest rocket capable of repeated human transport missions to the Moon and Mars. Early, uncrewed iterations of Starship have launched six times so far—four partial or fully successful, and two failures. Its most recent launches included relanding and recovering the spacecraft’s Super Heavy first stage booster, once while using the launch tower’s pair of large “chopstick” pincers. “To continue growing the workforce necessary to rapidly develop and manufacture Starship, we need the ability to grow Starbase as a community,” SpaceX’s letter reads. “… Incorporating Starbase will streamline the processes required to build the amenities necessary to make the area a world class place to live—for the hundreds already calling it home, as well as for prospective workers eager to help build humanity’s future in space.” The company notes that its current agreements with Cameron County require overseeing “several civil functions” at the remote location, such as road management, utility maintenance, as well as “the provision of schooling and medical care for the residents.” SpaceX argues that the formation of a Starbase city will allow some of these responsibilities to transition to “a more appropriate public body.” Musk’s attempt at building a new city from scratch is the latest in a series of moves intended to move his multiple companies from California to Texas. Musk has long claimed the former state’s bureaucratic red tape, regulatory burdens, labor protections, and heavy taxes are preventing his businesses from achieving their goals. Tesla’s main offices moved to Austin from Palo Alto, CA, in 2021. Earlier this year, he called a California law designed to protect the privacy of transgender minors “the final straw” in his decision to relocate both SpaceX headquarters to Texas. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Email address