Mcallen, Texas (AP) – The Southern Texas House of the Elon Musk SpaceX rocket is now an official city with a galactic name: Starbase.
On Saturday, a vote for the official organization of Starbase as a city was approved by a LopSIDED margin among the small group of voters who live there and are mostly Musk employees at SpaceX. With all the votes, Tally was 212 in favor of 6 against, according to the results published online by the election department of Cameron County.
Musk was celebrating in a publication on his social platform, X, saying it was “Now a real city!”
Starbase is the SPACEX launch facility and site, which has a contract with the Ministry of Defense and NASA, which hopes to send the astronauts back to the moon and someday on Mars.
Musk first sailed the idea of Starbase in 2021 and the approval of the new city was almost certain. Of the 283 eligible voters in the area, most are thought to be stars.
The victory of the election was personal to Musk. The billionaire’s popularity is decreasing as he became the public face of the state -owned three -storey of the federal work of President Donald Trump and the cut of costs, and the profits in his company Tesla Car Company decreased.
Usually, SpaceX has attracted wide support from local employees for their jobs and investment in the area.
But the creation of an official urban city has also attracted critics who worry that it will expand Musk’s personal control over the area, with the potential power to close a popular beach and a state launch park.
The accompanying efforts for the vote of the city include bills in the state legislative body to move this body from the district to the mayor and the City Council of the New City.
All these measures come as SpaceX asks the federal authorities to allow the number of launches in southern Texas from five to 25 years.
The city at the southern end of Texas near the border between Mexico is only about 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers), crossed by several roads and is puzzled by Arstream trailers and the modest homes of the Middle Ages.
SpaceX employees have said a little about why they want an urban town and have not answered comment email requests.
“We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community,” writes Starbase General Catherine Luders to local employees in 2024 with the request to receive the urban number of the newsletter.
The letter states that the company already manages roads and utilities, as well as the “provisions of the school and medical care” for the residents of the property.
SpaceX employees have told legislators that the provision of the city’s beach closing body will optimize startup operations. SpaceX missiles and engine tests and even just moving certain equipment around the start base requires the closure of a local highway and access to the Boca Chica and Boca Chica Beach State Park.
Critics claim that the beach closing body should remain with the district government, which is a broader population that uses the beach and the park. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., said the county worked well with SpaceX and did not need a change.
Another proposed bill would make a Class B crime of up to 180 days in prison if someone did not comply with a beach evacuation order.
The environmental justice network in South Texas, which organizes protests against the city vote and the problem of beach access, held another demonstration on Saturday, which attracted dozens of people.
Joseette Quinoya, whose young daughter is building Sandchall nearby, said she was involved in trying to ensure that her family enjoyed a beach for generations.
With Spacex, Quiniosa said, “Some days are closed and some days turn.”
Organizer Christopher Basalu, a member of the Nation Carizo/comecrush of Texas, said his ancestors have long been in the area where Rio Grande meets the bay.
“It’s not only important,” he said, “It’s sacred.”
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Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas.