What Is Starbase? Elon Musk Builds a SpaceX City With Shops, Worker Housing and Its Own Mayor — But Texas Locals Aren’t Happy

Discontent is brewing among the South Texas residents who fear that Elon Musk’s ambitious project Starbase is being developed at the cost of environment, health and their living.

As per MyRGV, SpaceX’s expansion has angered residents in South Texas due to their worries about its overall adverse effects on their life.

Since officially gaining city status in May 2025, Starbase is actively developing into a comprehensive company town with the ongoing plans involve building more accommodation, retail spaces, and eateries so as to cater to the increasing number of employees who commute 40 minutes from Brownsville.

The locals have apprehensions about the approval which SpaceX got recently to increase rocket launches from five to 25 annually.

What Is Starbase?

Starbase is a recently established city, home to the SpaceX complex, which shares its name. As part of its Starship programme, the company handles spacecraft design, production, and launch within these facilities.

SpaceX has gradually established a company town around its Starbase facilities for close to a decade. While the area once had about 30 residences, SpaceX has acquired nearly all of these previous homeowners’ properties.

The Texas Tribune reports that the area’s population has since expanded to almost 500 individuals, many of whom reside in Airstream trailers and modular homes.

Jordan Buss, senior director of environmental health and safety at SpaceX, and Jenna Petrzelka, former manager of engineering operations at SpaceX, filled the two commissioner roles. Bobby Peden will manage the daily administrative duties unless the commission appoints a city manager.

Where Is Starbase Located?

Situated about 25 miles east of Brownsville, Texas, on the north side of the US-Mexico border, Starbase’s boundaries follow State Highway 4. This encompasses Boca Chica Village, part of Boca Chica Beach, and land used or earmarked by SpaceX for its facilities. State Highway 4 is the only road in and out of Starbase and provides local access to Boca Chica Beach.

SpaceX began acquiring land near Boca Chica Beach in 2012, aiming to build a commercial spaceport, which it announced in 2014. By the time it became operational in 2019, SpaceX had refocused its local efforts on Starship, a reusable spacecraft intended for crew and cargo transport to space.

SpaceX has since expanded its operations beyond the launch complex to include offices, production, and testing sites. In 2024, Musk declared the company’s headquarters would relocate from California to Starbase, referencing a new gender identity law.

Local Concerns Erupt

SpaceX’s expansion has reportedly angered other local residents due to worries about its adverse effects on the environment, wildlife, and public beach access.

The city’s swift growth and strong links to SpaceX, coupled with Musk’s controversial public image, have generated unease over potential environmental harm and the degree of corporate sway in local governance.

Environmental Impact and Legal Challenges

Environmental groups voice concerns over the added noise, heat, and debris from operations affecting local wildlife, waterways, and nearby protected lands. Specifically, they worry about endangered species such as the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle and the piping plover, a bird species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty.

According to CNBC, environmental agencies have cited SpaceX for Clean Water Act violations. Additionally, environmental advocacy groups have sued both SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), arguing the company failed to adequately prevent or rectify harm to the surrounding environment, including wildlife refuges and other protected areas. The FAA has denied these claims.

SpaceX maintains it has implemented ‘an extensive list of mitigations developed with federal and state agencies.’ The company also organises quarterly beach clean-ups and works with Sea Turtle Inc. to locate and relocate injured sea turtles.

Originally published on IBTimes UK