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| SpaceX CEO Elon Musk | Photo: Reuters |
Elon Musk is the richest man in the world. This American technology entrepreneur has been at the center of discussion throughout the year with various bold and diverse decisions. This time in the new year, he has planned to build a new city in the Boca Chica region of the US state of Texas.
Although it may sound surprising, only the employees of Elon Musk's space technology company SpaceX will live in the city named 'Starbase'. In the meantime, an application has been submitted to the Cameron County authorities in Texas to register the city as a corporation.
Starbase City will be 1.5 square miles in size. It will also include improved housing, education, and other civic amenities to create a modern, worker-friendly community. "Converting Starbase into a corporation will allow for the development of improved amenities in the area. This will not only improve the quality of life for current residents but will also attract future workers who want to work toward fulfilling their dreams of space exploration," SpaceX General Manager Katherine Lueders said in a letter.
If recognized as a corporation, it will be possible to establish a local administrative structure in Starbase. As a result, the city will be able to establish its own law enforcement, police, and fire departments, as well as receive state and federal government grants for infrastructure development.
Welcoming Elon Musk's plan to create a new city, Robert Greer, an associate professor at Texas A&M University's Bush School of Government and Public Service, said that forming its own city would make it possible to manage the organization's activities more easily and in a more orderly manner.
The Starbase city project has also sparked controversy in the United States. The country's environmental organization 'Save RGV' has opposed the plan to build the Starbase city, saying that SpaceX's activities are negatively impacting the environment of the Boca Chica region. There are questions about what kind of impact the construction of the Starbase will have on the local environment and ecosystem.