Elon Musk has successfully won a vote to construct his very own city in the US as part of his wider vision to ‘colonize Mars’.
Musk relocated his SpaceX base out of California to Texas earlier this year, due to his disagreement over the state’s gender identity laws, and now has even bigger plans for its new home.
The SpaceX boss has a blueprint for plans to transform its HQ at Boca Chica into a city he wants to call Starbase.
Starbase is already the name of the facility and launch site for SpaceX’s rocket program that has contracts with the Department of Defense and NASA which has high hopes of sending astronauts to the Moon and, someday, to Mars.
SpaceX moved its base in Texas
According to Bloomberg, residents, many of whom live there and are employed by the space company, voted 173 to four to merge Starbase as a city in the Lone Star State out of 283 eligible voters.
The vote also saw the city grant its first mayor, Bobby Peden, and two city commissioners, Jenna Petrzelka and Jordan Buss, all of whom are current or former SpaceX staff members.
Celebrating the news, Musk took to Twitter to declare Starbase is ‘now a real city’.
Starbase wrote in a separate post: “Becoming a city will help us continue building the best community possible for the men and women building the future of humanity’s place in space.”
The 53-year-old Tesla CEO first suggested Starbase in 2021 with approval for his vision of a new city pretty much guaranteed.
Musk is celebrating the victory
The victory comes as the billionaire’s popularity has plummeted since he became Donald Trump’s so-called ‘First Buddy’ in heading up the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) that has been driving cuts across the federal workforce.
Campaigners against his controversial appointment have taken to protesting at Tesla dealerships while profits for the carmaker have nosedived.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has largely gone unscathed with many seeing the company as beneficial for boosting local jobs and investment in the area.
However, it’s not without its critics as some fear the creation of a city could expand Musk’s control even further.
Boca Chica residents gathered to watch SpaceX’s rocket launch
According to the Daily Mail, state Legislature could shift into the hands of the newly appointed mayor and city council for the area – and Starbase could acquire and close a popular beach as well as a state park to make way for more rocket launches.
SpaceX has already asked federal authorities for permission to expand its number of South Texas rocket launches from five to 25 a year.
Last year, Starbase General Manager Kathryn Lueders wrote to local officials to request making the city an issue on the ballot, writing: “We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community.”
The letter further stated that Starbase already has management of roads and utilities, plus schools and medical facilities for residents.
