A Starship rocket engine awaits launching from SpaceX ’s Starship quickness . SpaceX / SpaceX
SpaceX ’s next mission has nothing to do with rockets . or else , it ’s aiming to turn its Starbase facility into a raw Texas city .
In a spot on ten on Thursday , SpaceX chief Elon Muskshared a letterfrom the spaceflight fellowship to Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. , the top elect official in Cameron County , where the facility is located , request an election to determine whether Starbase , Texas , should be incorporated as a urban center .
A Starship rocket awaits launch from SpaceX’s Starship facility.SpaceX / SpaceX
“ Starbase is house to the development and production ofSpaceX ’s Starship , a project designed to fundamentally alter humanity ’s access to outer space , ” the missive said . “ We are investing billions in infrastructure and generating century of millions in income and tax for local businesses and government , all with the goal of making South Texas the Gateway to Mars , ” the letter said .
argue its case , SpaceX pronounce that to remain grow the workforce necessary to rapidly develop and manufacture its next - generation Starship megarocket , it needs “ the ability to grow Starbase as a biotic community . That is why we are quest that Cameron County call an election to start the internalization of Starbase as the unexampled metropolis in the Pio Grande Valley . ”
The company add that creating Starbase City would “ streamline the processes involve to build the amenities necessary to make the area a world - class place to exist for the 100 already ring it home , as well as for prospective worker eager to help oneself build humanity ’s time to come in space . ”
Up till now , every report reference to Starbase usually comes alongside the words , “ near Boca Chica , Texas . ” Incorporating Starbase as a urban center would change all that .
The Associated Press notedthat Musk first spoke of the melodic theme in 2021 when he wrote in a social media post : “ create the city of Starbase , Texas . ” But Judge Treviño said that this late development marked the first time that a petition has been formally filed .
“ Our legal and elections governance will review the postulation , see whether or not it complied with all of the statutory requirement , and then we ’ll go from there , ” Treviño say on Thursday .
While environmental campaigners have accused Elon Musk ’s spaceflight fellowship of H2O pollution and habitat destruction around the Starbase site , SpaceX said in the missive that becoming a urban center would have “ no impact on SpaceX ’s commitment to being a science - backed steward of the local environment . ”
It would n’t be the first time for a name change like this to come . The Japanese city of Koromo changed its name to Toyota in 1959 to reflect the economical significance of the car maker .
