Elon Musk's Starbase wants to expand in south Texas

A view from Boca Chica Beach towards two SpaceX launch pads, in south Texas. Reynaldo Leaños Jr./For NPR hide caption

STARBASE, Texas — On a scorching August afternoon in south Texas, Bekah Hinojosa, the co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Center, blasts the A/C in her car.

As she drives down Highway 4 towards Boca Chica Beach, large 18-wheelers and silver glistening Cybertrucks zoom past her on the opposite lane.

"This road is always under construction," said Hinojosa. "SpaceX is rapidly colonizing and changing the entire landscape of Boca Chica."

Very soon the newly created city of Starbase, and Elon Musk's SpaceX, could change this area by the Gulf of Mexico, even more. This city was established in 2025 and is now asking its residents to consider annexing around 7,100 acres of surrounding land, including state and private property.

The city was created, in part, as a way to help grow its SpaceX workforce and increase its capacity for developing, and the manufacturing needed for more rocket launches.

In April of 2025 the Federal Aviation Administration approved SpaceX's request to increase launches from its Boca Chica Launch Site.

These operations include, "up to 25 annual Starship/Super Heavy orbital launches, up to 25 annual landings of Starship, up to 25 annual landings of Super Heavy, and vehicle upgrades," according to the FAA document.