BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Long before Elon Musk’s SpaceX sets its sights on terraforming Mars, the aerospace titan is laying the groundwork to reshape a corner of South Texas.
On February 11, 2025, SpaceX filed a permit with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to construct a $20 million school near its Starbase facility in Brownsville, signaling a bold expansion of its influence in the region. Named Ad Astra—Latin for “to the stars”—the 62,378-square-foot facility, designed by Huckabee Inc., is set to break ground on March 31, 2025, with a completion date of July 31, 2026. This educational venture is just one piece of a larger transformation Musk envisions for Brownsville, aimed at building a robust workforce to fuel his interplanetary ambitions.
Since breaking ground in Boca Chica in 2014, SpaceX has turned the once-sleepy coastal area into a hive of aerospace activity. Starbase, located about 25 miles east of Brownsville, is now home to over 3,400 employees and contractors, according to a 2024 Cameron County impact study. But Musk’s plans extend beyond rockets. The permitting of Ad Astra follows a December 2024 petition to incorporate Starbase as a city—an election set for May 3, 2025—underscoring SpaceX’s intent to create a self-sustaining community. “To continue growing the workforce necessary to rapidly develop and manufacture Starship, we need the ability to grow Starbase as a community,” wrote Kathryn Lueders, Starbase’s general manager, in a letter to county officials.
This transformation is already rippling through Brownsville. The city, one of the poorest in America, has seen its share of high-income households double between 2022 and 2023, fueled by SpaceX’s presence and related developments like the Port of Brownsville’s $18.4 billion LNG project by NextDecade, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. New infrastructure is sprouting up to support this growth—gas stations, housing developments, and even trade schools are emerging to cater to the influx of workers. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) has partnered with SpaceX, offering aerospace engineering programs and internships to cultivate local talent for the company’s needs. “It’s inspiring a new generation,” said a UTRGV spokesperson, highlighting the shift toward a skilled workforce.
The Ad Astra school itself promises to be a cornerstone of this evolution. Modeled after Musk’s earlier educational experiment in Bastrop, Texas, which focused on hands-on, problem-solving learning, the Brownsville campus could train the next wave of engineers and technicians. “Imagine kids designing propulsion systems instead of memorizing dates—it’s Musk’s way of building the future,” speculated an X user, reflecting community buzz about the curriculum. With a $20 million investment, the facility is poised to offer cutting-edge resources, potentially rivaling traditional schools and aligning with SpaceX’s STEM-driven mission.
Beyond education, SpaceX is enhancing the area’s livability. The company has invested in road upgrades, utilities, and temporary housing in Boca Chica village, as noted in recent reports from the San Antonio Express-News. New palm trees line streets, and futuristic office towers now dominate the landscape, a stark contrast to the tidal flats of a decade ago. Plans for a $150 million expansion of the Brownsville-Boca Chica Spaceport, detailed by Mount Bonnell, promise further economic boosts, including new test stands and launch capabilities. Local businesses are booming too—hotels, coffee shops, and restaurants have sprung up downtown, spurred by a $10 million pledge from Musk’s foundation to revitalize the area, according to Realtor.com.
Yet, this rapid development comes with trade-offs. Environmentalists, like Nansi Guevara of Brownsville, decry the impact on shorebirds, ocelots, and endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles near Starbase. “It’s an irrevocable disruption,” Guevara told USA Today, pointing to SpaceX’s wastewater disputes with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Residents also lament rising rents and property taxes, with anthropologist Christopher Basaldú forced into a smaller apartment as prices soar. Access to Boca Chica Beach, a spiritual site for the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe, is often blocked during launches, sparking tensions.
Despite these concerns, local leaders see promise. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. told Valley Central, “If this brings resources and opportunities, it’s a win,” though he awaits more details on Ad Astra’s community impact. Brownsville Mayor John Cowen Jr. echoed this optimism, noting to the Times that the “pros outweigh the cons” for a region long seeking better jobs. Posts on X reflect a similar split—some hail Musk as a visionary transforming a struggling city, while others warn of a “company town” overshadowing local voices.
SpaceX’s push to transform Starbase into an official city is a recent development for the South Texas site, blending industrial ambition with urban development. On December 12, 2024, SpaceX filed a petition with Cameron County, supported by over 70 residents—mostly company employees—requesting an incorporation election, which County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. approved on February 13, 2025, scheduling the vote for May 3, 2025. If successful, Starbase would become a Type C general-law municipality with a mayor and two commissioners, governing an area where SpaceX already owns all but 10 of approximately 250 lots, as detailed in county documents. The company envisions a thriving community with housing, a new headquarters, and amenities like shopping centers and recreational facilities, as hinted at in posts on X and reported by outlets like Newsweek. Kathryn Lueders, Starbase’s general manager, emphasized that incorporation would “streamline the processes required to build the amenities necessary to make the area a world-class place to live,” supporting the site’s 3,400-strong workforce and their families, including over 100 children, per a 2024 local impact study.
This move builds on years of quiet expansion. Since breaking ground in 2014, SpaceX has invested billions, generating significant economic activity—hundreds of millions in income and taxes for local entities, according to Mashable. The site, already a hub for Starship development, has prompted many infrastructure upgrades. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support, nodding to the project’s potential in a February 2025 statement reported by Teslarati. However, environmental concerns linger, with groups like Save RGV suing over alleged wastewater pollution in 2024, claims SpaceX counters by asserting minimal environmental impact.
As SpaceX builds Starbase into a launchpad for Mars, Brownsville is becoming a proving ground for Musk’s terrestrial ambitions. With schools, trade programs, and new developments, he’s not just assembling rockets—he’s crafting a workforce and a community to take humanity to the stars.
Sources: ValleyCentral, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, USA Today, Mount Bonnell, Realtor.com, posts on X.
