SpaceX is looking to dramatically expand the boundaries of its Starbase headquarters, which was incorporated as its own city in 2025.
A proposal on the table would allow Starbase city officials to annex thousands of acres of land near Boca Chica Beach – a popular 7-mile stretch of coastline in South Texas.
The measure is just the latest controversial step leaders of Starbase are seeking to take since Elon Musk’s commercial spaceflight company spearheaded an effort at the ballot box to transform the home of its rocket operations into a municipality. Now, Starbase City commissioners are set to consider the matter as SpaceX looks to debut a new version of its massive Starship rocket in March from the site.
Here’s everything to know about plans to expand Starbase’s territory across Cameron County.
Where is SpaceX based in Texas? Starship launches from Starbase
SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas, located about 180 miles south of Corpus Christi near the U.S.-Mexico border.
In May 2025, Texas voters in Cameron County – most of whom are SpaceX employees – approved a measure to officially recognize the company’s headquarters as its own town, complete with a mayor and city commissioners.
One of the most prominent operations at Starbase is the ongoing development and testing of SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket. The 11th flight test since April 2023, which took place in the middle of October, helped SpaceX end the year on a high note after 2025 began with a series of explosive failures for the world’s largest rocket.
Starbase seeks expansion under SpaceX plan
Starbase is home to SpaceX’s rocket program and is where the vehicles are both built and often launched. The complex, about 1.5 square miles in size, houses a landing pad, launch facility, launch control center and tracking station for SpaceX.
But Starbase could be growing dramatically under a plan in which officials are seeking to annex 7,133 acres of land, some of which local outlets – including the San Antonio Express-News and My San Antonio – reported are state and federally-protected. About half of the considered land is owned by SpaceX and other private organizations, local outlets reported.
The Starbase City Commission is set to consider the matter Wednesday, Feb. 18, as part of its regular monthly meeting behind closed doors during an executive session.
Starbase incorporation pits locals against SpaceX, Musk
Starbase’s incorporation as a city has not been without criticism, with the move pitting environmentalists and longtime residents against Musk and what they see as the billionaire’s quest to assert control over the Texas area.
In June 2025, for instance, many locals spoke out against Starbase officials’ move to close several of the city’s public streets to outsiders.
Should Starbase commissioners go forward with the annexation plans, the city will call for a public hearing and will send notices to landowners, according to the meeting agenda.
When is Starship flight 12? What to know about next SpaceX launch date
SpaceX has not announced an official target launch date for its next Starship test.
However, billionaire Musk, who is the company’s founder and chief executive, posted a photo of the vehicle Jan. 26 on X with a simple message: “Starship launch in 6 weeks.”
Taken literally, Musk’s announcement could mean Starship is possibly on track for liftoff as early as March 9.
Ahead of the flight test, the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, gave the green light for three new flight paths for SpaceX to fly Starship. The trajectories, which would go over parts of the United States, Mexico and some of the Caribbean islands, are critical for Starship’s upper stage to reach orbit and then return for a landing back at Starbase – feats SpaceX has yet to accomplish.
What is SpaceX’s Starship? How tall is it?
Standing at more than 400 feet tall when fully stacked, Starship is regarded as the largest and most powerful launch vehicle in the world.
SpaceX is developing Starship to be a fully reusable transportation system, meaning the rocket and vehicle can return to the ground for additional missions. The fully-integrated spacecraft is composed of both a lower-stage booster known as Super Heavy that provides the initial burst of thrust at liftoff, as well as an upper stage simply called Starship, which is the vehicle where crew and cargo would ride.
In the years ahead, Starship is due to help NASA astronauts land on the moon under the U.S. space agency’s Artemis program. Musk also has dreams of Starship being the vehicle that transports the first humans to Mars.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: SpaceX looks to expand boundaries of Starbase in Texas. What to know
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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