Inside Elon Musk's 'Gateway to Mars'

Starbase, the land where the Starship rocket is built and launched, is being turned into a new town by Elon Musk.

Over the years, Elon Musk has been steadily expanding his footprint in Texas, moving his companies here, building offices, warehouses, and manufacturing plants. In particular, the American billionaire is trying to do something few tech billionaires have done before: create his own town.

Musk has long talked about his desire to create a new town called Starbase. The land, located in coastal South Texas in Cameron County, is currently home to SpaceX’s Starship rocket launch facility. In 2021, the billionaire shared his idea of ​​turning Starbase into a residential area, or even a city, according to the AP .

A Starship rocket awaits launch at SpaceX's Starbase site. Photo: SpaceX

SpaceX says Starbase generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and taxes for local businesses and governments. Because of its remote location, SpaceX helps manage roads and infrastructure in the area, and supports schools and health care for residents through an agreement with the county. SpaceX is aiming to make Starbase a “Gateway to Mars” and is expected to “fundamentally change humanity’s access to space.”

For years, the plan made little headway, as establishing a new city in Texas requires a certain number of residents and majority voter support. But recently, as Musk has increasingly tried to bring more of his company’s employees to Starbase, they’ve taken the first major step: collecting signatures and filing an official petition to put the vote on the ballot.

According to Space , SpaceX sent a letter to Cameron County on December 12, proposing to hold a vote to convert Starbase into a recognized city in Texas. This proposal was made based on the opinions of area residents.

If it goes ahead, the election would allow voters to elect three new city officials, including the city’s first mayor. The petition calls for Gunnar Milburn, currently SpaceX’s chief security officer, to be the mayor. The initial population of about 500 includes 219 employees of Musk’s companies and their dependents, including 100 children. They could propose creating a police or fire department, or enact their own ordinances.

“This is a unique situation,” Alan Bojorquez, an Austin lawyer who advises on new town planning, told the New York Times . “I’ve never been involved in helping a company create a town for its employees.”

Most of the people who live in the area either work for SpaceX or have family members who do. Nearly all live in housing owned by the company, which is made up of old homes that are temporary, or even silver Airstream trailers that have been converted into living quarters.

These temporary homes are clustered around SpaceX’s offices, shortening the commute to work. The area also has a number of restaurants, mostly open to Musk’s company employees.

Memes District, which could become the center of Starbase town. Photo: X/Steve Jurvetson

Residents are excited about the town's creation. Cayetana Polanco, who lives in Memes and whose husband works for SpaceX, said she's looking forward to Starbase City and hopes it can become "a model for other new cities like it."

“If everything goes well with the petition, my baby could be the first baby born in the city,” Polanco said. “That would be amazing.”

If approved, Starbase would be eligible for federal grants, Bojorquez said, along with some immunity from lawsuits and property liens.

In a letter accompanying the petition, Starbase manager Kathryn Lueders spoke of the “potential for Starbase to be developed into a community” and noted that SpaceX “currently performs civic functions” for the new area, including managing utilities and providing schools and health care.

Musk has faced major hurdles, though. SpaceX has faced opposition for years from environmental groups in the area, who worry about the impact of frequent, large-scale rocket launches on coastal ecosystems. Residents and officials in Brownsville, about 20 miles away, have also repeatedly complained about health problems caused by the launches.

Elon Musk is not among those who signed the petition. However, he owns a home in Cameron County and voted there in the US presidential election in November.

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