Starbase is on the cusp of becoming the nation’s newest municipality. Local voters are casting ballots and deciding whether to incorporate the Starbase community. The voting process, which runs until May 3, 2025, could transform the unincorporated area into a space-age city.

Starbase is located in Cameron County’s Rio Grande Valley, 25 miles east of Brownsville, Texas. It is home to SpaceX’s Starship facility and houses fewer than 300 residents, including 120 children.

Elon Musk relocated SpaceX’s headquarters from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase in 2024, envisioning a futuristic town for his workforce. Musk pitched the concept of a space-age city four years ago and has repeatedly talked about it over the years.

The proposed Starbase city would span 1.5 square miles—roughly the size of New York’s Central Park. It would potentially house 3,500 SpaceX employees. A petition filed earlier this year triggered the vote to establish Starbase as a Type C municipality. SpaceX believes Starbase needs to be incorporated to support its mission to travel to Mars.

The vote is expected to pass, with 90% of the 279 eligible voters expected to favor establishing a Starbase city. Voters will also select a mayor and two commissioners for the new city. Bobby Peden is currently the only candidate for Mayor of Starbase. Meanwhile, Jordan Buss and Jenna Petrzelka are running for commissioner.

Starbase’s incorporation would mark a bold step in Musk’s vision, creating a hub tailored to SpaceX’s Mars ambitions. As voting continues, the outcome could redefine the Rio Grande Valley, establishing a unique, company-driven municipality centered on space exploration.

Ukraine is exploring EU satellite alternatives to Starlink, driven by concerns over Elon Musk’s unpredictability. Starlink remains vital for Ukraine’s battlefield connectivity and cannot be easily replaced. While the European Union has started developing Starlink alternatives, they have not quite reached SpaceX’s capacity to provide internet connection.

Starlink’s Critical Role and Vulnerabilities

Starlink’s 7,000+ satellite network provides essential connectivity for Ukraine’s military. However, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s influence has raised strategic concerns.

“Elon Musk is, in fact, the guardian of Ukraine’s connectivity on the battlefield. And that’s a strategic vulnerability,” warns Arthur De Liedekerke, Senior Director of European Affairs for Rasmussen Global.

Opinions of Musk have started to influence dealings with any of his companies, including SpaceX and Tesla. Starlink has not escaped criticism due to its relationship with Musk, resulting in a few governments seeking alternatives to SpaceX’s internet services.

For instance, the German military has announced plans to develop a Starlink alternative. Kyiv and the EU are also seeking options to reduce reliance on Starlink.

EU’s Govsatcom as a Near-Term Option

Member of the EU Parliament (MEP) Christophe Grudler pitched the European Union’s Govsatcom system as a viable alternative to Starlink for Ukraine.

“It is clear that if Starlink decides to cut the signal today, we have options, in particular with Govsatcom, which is the European network that we have brought into service and which, from June, will make it possible to supplement Starlink’s missing signal in Ukraine, if necessary,” he said.

Grudler affirmed: “The European Union is very committed to helping Ukraine, so there would certainly be agreement from all the Member States to come to Ukraine’s aid if it no longer had a Starlink signal in the future.”

However, De Liedekerke pointed out that GovSatcom was made for government use. He noted that “GoveSatcom is a governmental secure satellite communications and it’s essentially to provide reliable, secure, strategically autonomous networks for communication services between governments in the EU. It couldn’t replace the kind of battlefield connectivity that we’re discussing for Ukraine. So it’s not a silver bullet at the moment.”

Eutelsat’s Competitive Edge

Eutelsat, a Franco-British operator, offers a low-Earth orbit network with 630 satellites and 35 geostationary ones, though it trails Starlink’s scale. It has 2,000 terminals deployed in Ukraine and 14,000 more planned to deploy. Starlink has 40,000 terminals in Ukraine, used by the military and civilians.

Price is another factor to consider when seeking a Starlink alternative. Eutelsat’s €9,000 terminals are pricier than Starlink’s €500 units.

“Eutelsat is our European champion, one that has convincing functioning solutions. And one that we need to be able to support through funding and political will,” De Liedekerke said, noting its political independence from the U.S.

Iris2 as a Future Solution

The EU’s Iris2 project is another Starlink alternative Ukraine might consider. The Iris2 project is a 290-satellite constellation, promising secure, low-latency connectivity by 2030, with partial operations by 2028.

“From 2028, we will have an operational Iris2 constellation that will be able to provide telecommunications services to all the Member States that so wish. I would add that this will be the first time we have had a constellation secured with post-quantum cryptography, so cyber-attacks will not be possible on this constellation. It will be a world first with an ultra-secure signal, which is not the case with the Starlink signal either,” Grudler said. ‘

Led by the SpaceRISE consortium, Iris2 offers a long-term alternative, though its timeline limits immediate impact.

Strategic Diversification

De Liedekerke has stressed the need for options aside from Starlink.

“It’s about having options. It’s about not having a single point of failure. It’s being able to say no to one and still be online. And today, we’re not in a situation where we can do that. We’ve let Ukraine’s war zone connectivity be in the hands of one man…that’s a strategic vulnerability.

By having options, by having alternatives, by diversifying our partnerships, we avoid that single point of failure.”

Ukraine’s pursuit of EU solutions aims to ensure battlefield resilience. However, the EU has some way to go before it can match Starlink’s reach.

SpaceX pitched a subscription model for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome for America.

SpaceX is a frontrunner to build key components of President Trump’s Golden Dome–formerly known as the Iron Dome. In January, President Trump signed an Executive Order to build an Iron Dome missile defense shield to protect America.

The ambitious project has drawn intense interest from defense startups, including Epirus, Ursa Major, and Armada. Companies with long-standing contracts with the U.S. government are also vying to build Trump’s Golden Dome, like Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

According to six Reuters sources, SpaceX is partnering with Palantir and Anduril on a Golden Dome proposal for the U.S. government.

The trio is pitching a plan to deploy 400 to 1,000+ satellites for missile detection and tracking, with a separate fleet of 200 attack satellites armed with missiles or lasers to neutralize threats. SpaceX will mainly focus on the sensing satellites, not weaponization.

SpaceX reportedly proposed a subscription service model for Trump’s Golden Dome, where the government pays for access rather than owning the system outright. This approach could bypass some Pentagon procurement protocols, enabling faster deployment. However, it risks locking the government into ongoing costs and reduced control over development and pricing.

A few Pentagon officials are concerned about SpaceX’s subscription model for the Golden Dome because it is a rare approach for major defense programs. U.S. Space Force General Michael Guetlein is exploring whether SpaceX should own and operate its segment or if the U.S. should retain ownership with contractors managing operations.

The Golden Dome’s innovative scope and SpaceX’s subscription model signal a new era for defense contracting. However, Trump’s Golden Dome program is in its early stages, giving the Pentagon time to consider SpaceX’s subscription model proposal. As the Pentagon weighs options, SpaceX’s technical prowess and unconventional approach position it as a key player in Trump’s vision for a robust missile shield.