"How It Started...": Musk's Nostalgic Post As SpaceX Starbase Becomes City

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared a nostalgic "how it started vs how it's going" post after Starbase was officially declared a city.

Originally posted by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley and reposted by Musk, the post featured two images. The first picture was from the inauguration ceremony, showing Musk and a few others with shovels in the sand, and the other showed the full-fledged Starbase office.

"Starbase started with one shovel," the SpaceX CEO wrote on X.

Starbase started with one shovel https://t.co/jwUfNQFHbx

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 4, 2025

This milestone comes after 97.7 per cent of voters approved a ballot measure to turn SpaceX's South Texas launch site into an official municipality. Elon Musk, earlier, shared pictures on X of Starbase as a city.

S T A R B A S E https://t.co/Qs322y8n6E pic.twitter.com/GCMZAecjnH

— Space Sudoer (@spacesudoer) May 4, 2025

Originally launched in 2019, Starbase has evolved into a key facility for SpaceX's missions, including contracts with NASA and the Department of Defence. The long-term aim is to return astronauts to the moon and eventually send them to Mars.

SpaceX has requested federal approval to boost annual launches from five to 25. The newly-formed Starbase spread over about 2.5 square km near the Gulf.

According to the Associated Press, the idea of Starbase as a city was put forward by Musk in 2021. Of the 283 eligible voters in the election, most were SpaceX employees or affiliated individuals at the Boca Chica Bay site near the Mexico border. Unofficial results released by Cameron County confirmed the measure's passage. Election coordinator Remi Garza said Musk had registered to vote but hadn't cast his ballot by the end of early voting.

Nearly 500 people reportedly live in the area around the site, with most land owned by SpaceX or its workers. Bobby Peden, SpaceX's vice president of testing and launches, received 100 per cent of early votes to become the city's first mayor. He was the only candidate on the ballot.

Kathryn Lueders, general manager at SpaceX, had previously advocated for city status, telling local authorities that the site already provided essential services like roads, schools, and medical care. In a letter sent in 2024, she said, "We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community," per the Associated Press.

Despite the win, the decision to make Starbase a city has sparked concerns. Critics worry it gives Musk too much control, especially over beach access near Boca Chica State Park. SpaceX wants the power to close the beach during rocket launches, but that authority currently belongs to the county. State lawmakers are debating bills to transfer this power to the new city officials.

Environmental and indigenous groups have also raised objections. On Saturday, dozens of protesters, part of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, voiced their concerns.

Alongside the vote, a new legislation proposes fines and jail time for people who refuse to evacuate during closures.