Once a remote stretch of coastline near Boca Chica, Texas, Starbase is now the beating heart of SpaceX’s ambitious vision for interplanetary travel. What was once a quiet village is transforming into a high-tech launch complex, home to the most powerful rockets ever built—and possibly, the world’s first fully corporate-owned city.
But just how big is Starbase? How many people live there? How much money has SpaceX invested? What’s next for this rapidly expanding space hub? Let’s break it all down.
📍 Where Exactly is Starbase?
Starbase sits on the southernmost tip of Texas, just east of Brownsville and across the water from South Padre Island.
📌 Google Maps Location: Starbase, Texas
🏝 What’s Nearby?
- 🏙 Brownsville, TX – 22 miles west (nearest major city)
- 🏖 South Padre Island – 6 miles northeast (popular tourist destination)
- 🌎 Gulf of Mexico – Launches head eastward over open water
🚀 Why This Spot?
SpaceX chose Boca Chica because of:
✅ Remote location – Fewer safety risks from launches
✅ Direct access to the ocean – Safe flight paths over water
✅ No flight traffic congestion – Unlike Florida’s Kennedy Space Center
Originally planned as a Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch site, Starbase was redesigned exclusively for Starship development—and it’s grown exponentially ever since.
📏 The Size of Starbase: How Big is It?
Despite its global significance, Starbase is surprisingly small—for now.
📌 Exact Area: 1.92 square miles (4.97 km²)
🏗 Total SpaceX-Owned Land: Over 350 acres (141 hectares)
🚀 Key Infrastructure Stats:
- 222,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space
- 20,000 sq. ft. of spacecraft bays
- 1 million sq. ft. of new construction planned
📌 How Does This Compare?
- Starbase: 1.92 square miles
- NASA Kennedy Space Center: 219 square miles
- Vandenberg Space Force Base: 98 square miles
While physically smaller, Starbase is growing fast and could soon rival these historic spaceports in launch activity.
👥 Population: Who Actually Lives in Starbase?
🏡 Total Population: ~500 residents
👶 Children: ~120
But here’s the catch:
🏗 SpaceX owns nearly all the homes in Starbase, meaning most residents are SpaceX employees or contractors.
📌 Will It Become a Real City?
A vote is scheduled for May 3, 2025, to determine if Starbase will officially incorporate as a Type C municipality (a small Texas city).
If approved:
- Starbase will have a mayor and two commissioners
- SpaceX will likely control all city services (roads, utilities, etc.)
- The first mayoral candidate? Gunnar Milburn—SpaceX’s Security Manager.
🚀 The Big Question:
Is Starbase becoming a groundbreaking space community—or a corporate-controlled experiment?
💰 Economic Impact: The Billion-Dollar Boom
🚀 How much money has SpaceX pumped into the region?
Direct Economic Contributions
📌 Since January 2023:
- $90M+ spent with 80+ local suppliers
- $99M estimated in tourism impact (2025)
Jobs Created
👷 Full-Time Jobs at Starbase: 3,400+
👥 Indirect Jobs Supported: 21,400+
Infrastructure Investment
🏗 Total investment so far: $800M
🚧 Planned expansion: $400M more
What’s Being Built?
✅ 1M sq. ft. of new manufacturing space
✅ 329,000 sq. ft. of new office space
✅ New Ad Astra private school (Montessori-style, $20M, opening 2026)
📌 Translation?
SpaceX is turning a remote coastal town into a high-tech economy, almost from scratch.
🏗 Infrastructure & Launch Facilities
🚀 Launch Pads & Towers
- OLP-A & OLP-B – Two massive orbital launch pads
- Mechazilla Towers – Giant robotic rocket-catching arms
🏗 Key Manufacturing & Support Facilities
- Starship Assembly Buildings – Where rockets are built from scratch
- Propellant Storage Facilities – Houses liquid oxygen & methane fuel
- Mission Control Center – Oversees Starship launches & tests
📌 How Many Rockets Are Built Here?
- SpaceX is ramping up production to build and launch Starships weekly.
- The goal: Regular Starship flights to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
🌍 What’s Next for Starbase?
SpaceX isn’t stopping anytime soon. Here’s what the future could hold:
📌 If Starbase Becomes a City…
✅ More autonomy over local laws & construction
✅ Faster approvals for new infrastructure
✅ A self-sustaining community of engineers & space workers
📌 If Starship Succeeds…
🚀 Regular Moon & Mars missions launching from Starbase
🚀 More advanced launch systems & offshore platforms
📌 If Regulations Tighten…
⚠️ Could the FAA force SpaceX to limit launches?
⚠️ Will environmental concerns slow down expansion?
Starbase is either a blueprint for the future of spaceflight—or an experiment in corporate-driven urban planning. Only time will tell.
🚀 Final Thoughts: The Birthplace of the Space Age?
📌 Key Takeaways:
✅ Starbase covers just 1.92 square miles but is rapidly expanding.
✅ It’s home to 500+ people, most of whom work for SpaceX.
✅ Over $1.2B in investments and 24,000+ jobs created.
✅ A vote in May 2025 could make it an official city.
✅ Future missions to Mars could launch from here.
🚀 The Big Question:
Is Starbase the launchpad for humanity’s space future—or a corporate-controlled experiment that could spiral out of control?
What do you think? Is this the beginning of a space boomtown or a high-tech company town with too much corporate power? Drop your thoughts below!
