Starbase, SpaceX's South Texas launch site, is the heart of the action — and controversy
Starbase lies next to Boca Chica Beach, the strip of coastline on the Gulf of Mexico that lies at the southernmost tip of Texas.
Only one roadway runs in and out of the area: A narrow stretch of asphalt called Boca Chica Highway. The westbound lane includes a US Border Patrol checkpoint.
Before SpaceX moved in, there were only a couple dozen homes nearby in an area called Boca Chica Village. And locals from the neighboring city of Brownsville routinely trekked to Boca Chica Beach to enjoy the rare slice of untouched coastline.
Most longtime residents have since been pushed out. SpaceX has purchased and painted many of the homes, allowing employees to move in. And launchpads now lie mere steps from the sand.
And the company’s presence has only grown from there: Rows of airstream trailers provide temporary housing for workers. A small restaurant for employees lies just off the road. And there are colossal buildings and work yards with scraps of rocket bodies lying about.
Some locals are angered to see their once remote beach community overrun by SpaceX employees and rocket construction.
And SpaceX has repeatedly drawn the ire of environmentalists who say the company has disregarded local wildlife and dumped wastewater into the surrounding wetlands. (The company has denied the allegations.)
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