Texas may have a new city if Elon Musk and SpaceX have their way

McAllen, Texas: SpaceX is launching a new mission to make its Starbase site a new Texas city, with billionaire Elon Musk's company this week requesting an election in the matter.

SpaceX builds and launches its Starship rockets at Starbase in South Texas. According to SpaceX, residents of the area submitted a petition for the area to become a city.

Starbase is located at Boca Chica Beach, near the Mexican border. Earlier this year, Elon Musk announced he was moving the headquarters of SpaceX and his social media company, X, from California to Texas.

Kathryn Lueders, the general manager of Starbase, wrote in a letter to Cameron County that SpaceX wants to expand Starbase as a community to grow the workforce needed for building and developing Starship. She asked the county to hold an election to make Starbase the newest city in the Rio Grande Valley.

This is not the first time the idea has come up. In 2021, Musk mentioned on social media that he wanted to create the city of Starbase, Texas.

Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr., the county's top official, said this is the first time a formal petition has been filed. The county's legal team and election office will review the petition to ensure it meets all legal requirements before deciding the next steps.

A report earlier this year showed that more than 3,400 full-time SpaceX employees and contractors work at Starbase. However, the company's rapid expansion has faced criticism. In July, a local group called Save RGV sued SpaceX, accusing it of environmental violations and polluting a nearby bay. SpaceX said a state review found no risks to the environment and called the lawsuit baseless.