Elon Musk's SpaceX now has its own city

A new city, Starbase , has officially been created in Texas and it's population consists almost entirely of SpaceX employees. Voters in the Boca Chica Beach area of ​​Cameron County on the Gulf of Mexico coast approved the initiative by a vote of 212 to 6, the Associated Press reports .

(photo by Gabriel Cardenas via Getty Images)

How it happened?

According to The Texas Tribune, only 283 people were eligible to vote due to the location. Analysts confirm that more than 60% of voters are SpaceX employees. The new city is expected to be run by three people closely associated with the company.

The idea of ​​creating a Starbase city first appeared in Elon Musk's posts back in 2021. It is reported that the result of the vote was expected and Elon Musk declared victory before the count was complete: "Starbase is now officially a city," Musk wrote in X.

What does this change for SpaceX?

Previously, SpaceX had to get permission from Cameron County to close the beach during launches. But Texas House Bill 2188, currently in the process of being approved, would give that right to the city itself. Formally, Starbase falls under the bill's requirements: it has a spaceport (this is not a fantasy, but a real term for a place to launch and receive spacecraft) and is located on the Gulf Coast.

Regulators are losing their influence

These changes are also accompanied by a reduction in federal oversight. The Trump administration has weakened the powers of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) , the agencies that regulate SpaceX.

The creation of Starbase is not only a symbolic gesture, but also a strategic step towards expanding Musk's company's autonomy. By gaining more control over the territory around its own spaceport, SpaceX will potentially be able to streamline the processes associated with preparing and launching rockets, as well as reduce its dependence on external regulation.