SpaceX's Elon Musk's residential location might get official city status in Texas, renamed as Starbase.
Elon Musk's Galactic Aspiration Faces Local Resistance
South Texas wanna-be city Starbase, Elon Musk's pet project, is one step closer to becoming a reality. This Saturday, a small coastal patch of Texas, home to Musk's rocket company SpaceX, could become an official city known as Starbase. But this cosmic dream has hit some turbulence as residents and environmentalists raise concerns over public access and control.
SpaceX's South Texas Takeover
The proposed city, encompassing about 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers) near the Mexico border, is no match for Musk's galactic ambitions. With its few roads, strewn airstream trailers, and midcentury homes, it seems like a modest beginning to Musk's vision of a company town.
Musk first dropped the Starbase idea in 2021, but SpaceX officials have remained tight-lipped about the exact reasons for the city's necessity. However, the fight over beach access raises a critical question: what might be at stake if SpaceX gains too much control?
Battle for Beach Access
Rocket launches and engine tests, along with the mere movement of equipment, require the closure of a local highway and access to Boca Chica State Park and Boca Chica Beach. As of now, cooperation with Cameron County is necessary for such closures. But two bills under consideration by state lawmakers would shift most responsibility to Starbase, just as SpaceX seeks permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to jack up the number of launches from five to 25 per year.
SpaceX argues that these bills would streamline beach closures and operations, crucial for their missions with the Department of Defense and NASA. Vice President of Starship Legal and Regulatory Sheila McCorkle even went as far as proclaiming that SpaceX's fully reusable rocket system is what keeps the U.S. ahead of global competitors like China and paves the way for humans to become multiplanetary[3].
However, this has stirred criticism. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. believes that Cameron County has efficiently managed beach closures and that there's no need to transfer authority to Starbase.
Public Pushback
A legislative hearing on the beach access bills drew a handful of company executives and environmental activists, generating hundreds of comments. Pro-SpaceX respondents cited the improvement of beach access coordination, while opponents argued that giving too much control to Musk and his company threatens the beloved, populous beach[3].
Starbase: A Billionaire's Playground?
With SpaceX's overwhelming support from residents and local officials, it seems Saturday's city vote is a done deal. However, critics argue that SpaceX and Musk are seeking too much control over public land, potentially restricting beach access and altering the local community's character. Moreover, the development could have environmental implications.
Critics like Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, call attention to SpaceX's potential overreach in South Texas. Hinojosa and her group have organized protests against the city vote and the beach access issue, even facing resistance from SpaceX's private security during a block walk[2].
As Musk's popularity wanes, and SpaceX's profits plunge, the proposed city of Starbase promises to send shockwaves through the South Texas community, with its far-reaching implications for public access and local control.
Sources:1. Fragoso, Pelagia, et al. "‘Poor people's beach’ at risk of privatization as Elon Musk's SpaceX eyes creation of city in Texas." The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/apr/20/elon-musk-spacex-texas-city-political-power. Accessed 25 Apr 2023.2. Fram, Jonathan "SpaceX pushes for new Texas city to gain access, control at 'beach'; Public wary." Associated Press, https://apnews.com/article/rocket-spacex-elon-musk-space-science-us-coronavirus-pandemic-7d6603c612a00e9e516df4de426e6fc4. Accessed 25 Apr 2023.3. Special to the American-Statesman Staff. "Elon Musk's SpaceX-backed bill moves forward to establish South Texas city, improve beach access." Austin American-Statesman, https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2023/04/12/elon-musks-spacex-texas-city-statehouse-regulation/72466059007/. Accessed 25 Apr 2023.
- The government is considering two bills that could give SpaceX's proposed city, Starbase, control over beach access and operations.
- Critics argue that the proposed city of Starbase, launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX, could potentially restrict access to the beloved Boca Chica Beach.
- Elon Musk's ambitious plans for SpaceX include an increase in rocket launches from five to 25 per year, which would require significant changes in the management of Boca Chica State Park and Boca Chica Beach.
- SpaceX argues that the proposed city of Starbase and the bills under consideration would streamline beach closure and operation procedures, essential for their missions with the Department of Defense and NASA.
- In a legislative hearing, opposition to the beach access bills was voiced by environmental activists, who fear that too much control in the hands of SpaceX could adversely impact the community and the environment.
- The general news has been following the ongoing debate between SpaceX, the government, and residents over the proposed city of Starbase and its potential implications for public land, beach access, and local control.
- Environmentalists and some local residents have raised concerns about the potential environmental impact of SpaceX's activities and the development of the city of Starbase in South Texas.
- Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, has been actively opposing the proposed city of Starbase, citing concerns about SpaceX's potential overreach and the potential alteration of the local community's character.
- The financial and political ramifications of SpaceX's planned expansion, as represented by the proposed city of Starbase, are drawing attention in business, space-and-astronomy, and politics circles.
