The South Texas home of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Rocket Company is Starbase, the official city currently with the galaxy’s name.
On Saturday, the vote to formally organize Starbase as a city was approved by a biased margin among a small group of voters who live there and are mostly SpaceX mask employees. All votes showed the tally was in favor of 212 people against 6, according to results published online by the Cameron County Elections Bureau.
Musk celebrated in a post on his social platform X, which was “now a real city!”
Starbase is the facility and launch site for the SpaceX Rocket program, which is under contract with the Department of Defense and NASA, hoping to return astronauts to the moon and one day send them back to Mars.
Musk first came up with the idea of a star-based in 2021, and it was almost certain that the new city would be approved. Of the 283 eligible voters in the region, most are considered to be star base workers.
The election victory was personal to Musk. MillionaireThe popularity is decliningSince he cameShaking a chainsawPublic face ofPresident Donald TrumpFederal government work andReducing spendingand his Tesla Auto Company profitsIt’s falling sharply.
SpaceX generally attracts extensive support from local officials for work and investment in the area.
However, the creation of the official company town has attracted critics who are concerned about expanding personal control over the area with masks.
Companions’ efforts to vote for the city include a state legislative bill to transfer that power from the county to the mayor of Newtown and city council.
All of these measures are because SpaceX is asking federal authorities to increase the number of South Texas launches from five to 25 a year.
The city at the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border is only 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers) crossed by several roads, immersed in airstream trailers and modest mid-century homes.
SpaceX officials did not say exactly why they wanted a company town, but did not respond to email requests for comment.
“We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community,” Starbase general manager Kathryn Ludays wrote to local officials in 2024, demanding that they win city issues on the ballot.
The letter said the company already controls “schooling and health care regulations” for roads and utilities as well as those living on property.
SpaceX officials told lawmakers that granting city officials to close beaches would streamline the launch operations. SpaceX Rocket has been launched, engine testing and even moving certain equipment around the launch base will require local highway closures and access to Bocachica State Park and Bocachica Beach.
Critics say the Beach Closures Bureau should remain in the county government. County government represents a larger population that uses beaches and parks. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. said the county is working well with SpaceX and there is no need for change.
Another proposed bill would be a Class B misdemeanor in prison for up to 180 days if someone fails to comply with an order to evacuate the beach.
The South Texas Environmental Justice Network, which organized a protest against the city’s voting and beach access issues, held another demonstration Saturday with dozens of people in its presence.
Joset Hinojosa, whose young daughter was building a sandcastle nearby, said she was taking part in an attempt to ensure continued access to the beach, which her family has enjoyed for generations.
Using SpaceX, Hinojosa said, “There are days when it’s closed and some days when it leaves.”
Organizer Christopher Basardou, a member of the Texas Kariso/Comekurd nation, said his ancestors have been in the area where Rio Grande meets the Bay for a long time.
“It’s not just important,” he said, “it’s sacred.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.
