Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket launch site in South Texas has officially become a city — and it now bears a name fit for the cosmos: Starbase.
In a vote held Saturday, residents approved incorporating the area as a formal city by a wide margin, with 212 votes in favor and only 6 opposed, according to the Cameron County Elections Department. The area’s voting population is small and largely composed of SpaceX employees.
Following the announcement, Musk celebrated the news on his social media platform X, declaring that it is “now a real city!”
Starbase, Texas
Is now a real city!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 4, 2025
Starbase serves as the primary launch facility for SpaceX’s advanced rocket programs, which are contracted by both NASA and the Department of Defense. These programs include ambitions to return astronauts to the moon and, eventually, to carry humans to Mars.
Musk first proposed the idea of turning SpaceX’s South Texas launch site into a city in 2021. While the concept raised eyebrows, the recent vote all but formalized a long-anticipated transition. Of the 283 eligible voters in the area, nearly all are believed to be tied to SpaceX.
Despite Musk’s recent