Elon Musk's "Starship Base" becomes a new town, with the first mayor being a SpaceX employee.

On May 4th, Elon Musk’s idea of establishing “Starbase” city became a reality. Reports indicate that the election also selected the first mayor of “Starbase” city, Bobby Pedden, along with two city council members, Jordan Buss and Jenna Petrzelka. All three are employees of SpaceX, and they faced no competitors during the election process. SpaceX’s rocket manufacturing and launch facility is located in Boca Chica, in southern Texas, covering an area of only 3.9 square kilometers, near the U.S.-Mexico border. Musk first proposed the idea of building a town there in 2021. Previously, SpaceX needed to apply for the closure of a nearby road leading to a state park and beach when testing, launching rockets, or operating certain equipment, prohibiting unauthorized personnel from entering the relevant areas. These matters were handled by Cameron County, where the facility is located. The Texas legislature is currently considering passing relevant legislation to transfer these matters to the newly established local government after the establishment of “Starbase” city.