Located in the southernmost tip of Texas near Brownsville, bordering both Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, BocaChicaVillage was a small community (about 30 homes) made up of retired individuals who sought a quiet home close to the beach where they could relax. However, just a couple of years ago, a new neighbor moved in next door that has caused tons of controversy in the South Texas community.
In 2012, American aerospace company SpaceX began buying properties at Boca Chica with intentions of establishing a development, production, testing and launch facility for its Starship rocket. But, is SpaceX hurting or benefiting the Brownsville community?
Understandably, Boca Chica residents did not take it too kindly when SpaceX showed up and began making a lot of noise. Since 2018, SpaceX has been testing rocket prototypes at the Boca Chica facility, which company founder Elon Musk named Starbase. These tests are not only extremely noisy, but also dangerous. When testing a rocket, especially a prototype, multiple things can go wrong, and having your home less than 1.5 miles from the launch pad means your home is subject to potential damage. Moreover, testing means the beach access (which is also the main road) closes, something that further annoyed the residents.
Boca Chica locals understand what is at stake. In a CBS Mornings report, Maria Porter (Boca Chica resident) expresses her dilemma. On one hand, she is excited for the future of space exploration and happy that history is being made right in her backyard. On the other hand, she knows she can’t stay there forever and wonders “where the hell do I go now?”
To comprehend why SpaceX moved to Boca Chica, we need to understand their goals. “SpaceX is working on a next generation of fully reusable launch vehicles that will be the most powerful ever built, capable of carrying humans to Mars and other destinations in the solar system,” company literature states. SpaceX’s philosophy is centered around the idea of reusable spacecraft. “While most rockets are designed to burn up on reentry, SpaceX rockets can not only withstand reentry but can also successfully land back on Earth and refly again.”
And they are succeeding. Looking at the stats, SpaceX is the only private aerospace company capable of returning a spacecraft from low-earth orbit. Furthermore, they were the first private company to send cargo, and more recently humans, to the International Space Station.
So what is their business in a small South Texas beach town? From a rocket launching facility perspective, Boca Chica makes perfect sense for SpaceX. It is located on the coastline (makes for safer testing and launching since the rocket can safely crash in the ocean, away from the population) and, unlike Florida, the coast is not heavily populated. Boca Chica is also close to the equator, which offers a “boost” to the rocket when launching, thus making the overall process more efficient.
At Starbase, SpaceX is currently developing and testing the most ambitious rocket that has ever been designed, Starship, the same rocket that was selected by NASA to return human presence to the moon. “SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft … represent(s) a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship will be the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the ability to carry in excess of 100 metric tons to Earth orbit.” the company says.
Understanding that history is being made, SpaceX’s goals, the importance of Starship, and after being offered between 3-5 times the fair market value for their homes, many residents of Boca Chica were untroubled to sell their property to the aerospace company.
Looking at the positives, SpaceX has come to offer opportunity and economic prosperity to the Brownsville area. Being one of the poorest cities in the US, Brownsville has much to gain from SpaceX. Since their arrival, SpaceX has had a major positive impact on job creation and economic growth in the region. “That includes 1,600 jobs created in addition to ‘hundreds of contract positions,’ and an estimated 6,185 jobs generated or supported across the county due to SpaceX’s investment … (plus) an estimated $650 million in value to the county economy in 2021 and more than $8 million in sales, property taxes and government fees for the county,” according to Govtech.
Furthermore, in 2021 Musk donated “$20 million to CameronCounty schools and $10 million to the city of Brownsville for downtown revitalization. This was a pleasant surprise for Brownsville and it further convinced residents that SpaceX moving in next door is an overall positive that ultimately will bring the prosperity this South Texas city needs. While the relationship might’ve started on the wrong note, SpaceX has demonstrated it is a helpful asset for the city of Brownsville as it might just become the first spaceport for spacecraft heading for the moon, mars and beyond, further enabling space exploration and comprehension of our universe.
Oscar Alejandro Ochoa-Garcia is a Brownsville native majoring in mechanical engineering at ColumbiaUniversity in New York City.
