Starbase, Texas

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Starbase, formerly Boca Chica Village or Kopernik Shores, is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States, near the mouth of the Rio Grande and immediately adjacent to the Mexico - United States border. It lies 20 miles (32 km) east of the City of Brownsville on the Boca Chica peninsula, and forms part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas. It is situated on State Highway 4 (Boca Chica Boulevard), immediately south of the South Bay lagoon, and is located about 2 mi (3.2 km) north of the mouth of the Rio Grande. The population was 500 as of 2025. The town was initially formed in the late 1960s, and has changed greatly since 2018 as SpaceX came to purchase many of the village properties. Numerous construction projects are underway including a community center, school, clinic, and additional housing. In 2014, the village was chosen as the location for the construction of a control facility for the SpaceX South Texas launch site, while the launch site itself was slated to be built just 2 miles (3.2 km) farther east, adjacent to Boca Chica State Park on the Texas Gulf Coast. Flight testing—and even more frequent ground testing—of prototype rocket vehicles and rocket engines began in 2019 and have continued into 2026. When SpaceX's Starbase launch and testing facilities were established it made the city experience more rapid economic and industrial development. It was able to bring the city investments, more tourism, and more employment opportunities for residents, but it has also created debate about environmental conservation, land use, worries from homeowners, and the effect of commercial spaceflight on the communities that are around it. In March 2021, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced plans to incorporate a new city to be called Starbase in the area. The city was...