Island Life: SPI Eyes SpaceX To Lift Expectations

By R. Daniel Cavazos

CVB Executive Director Blake Henry says SpaceX could become a significant part of SPI's `collective tourism.' (Courtesy of SpaceX and Carlos Nunez). 

The SpaceX Starbase on Boca Chica Beach is still working through a lengthy environmental review as administered by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The aerospace manufacturer's goal remains the same. SpaceX aims to launch a 30-story-tall rocket it calls Starship. The visual spectacle would be clearly visible from South Padre Island in looking to the southwest across the bay to Boca Chica. The FAA took two years to complete a comprehensive study whose findings were released in June 2022. The Boca Chica launch site, the agency stated, can expand its physical footprint if it takes more than 75 actions to mitigate environmental impacts.

The FAA in recent months ruled SpaceX can continue to expand its Boca Chica operations while addressing a list of environmental issues. (Courtesy)

In some quarters, the FAA's conclusion was seen as a setback with SpaceX falling short of receiving a launch license. Such an approval was probably unlikely after a single round of reviews given the size and scope of Starbase's ambitions. The bigger takeaway of the June announcement is that SpaceX was not required to conduct a more extensive environmental impact study. A ruling mandating a deeper study may have convinced SpaceX and its founder and chief executive officer, Elon Musk, to take its Starship launch plans to Florida. For now, that appears unlikely.

"One step closer to the first orbital flight test of Starship," Musk and SpaceX said after the FAA's June announcement.

It's also a step closer to someday having regularly scheduled rocket launches at Boca Chica. Such a development would spur space tourism on South Padre Island as visitors arrive to witness launches in person. In Florida for such events, one study found that the average party staying overnight spent about $1065 and individuals spent $350. Day trippers have an impact as well, spending about $144 a day, stated a study conducted by Florida's Space Coast Office of Tourism.

"The SpaceX facility is a wonderful backdrop for the city of South Padre Island," said Blake Henry, the executive director of the SPI Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We look forward to watching SpaceX grow and become a significant part of our collective tourism."

Making the Connections

The story of SpaceX and its connection to South Texas goes back 10 years.

In 2012, it became clear that Musk was looking for coastal sites to develop a new SpaceX commercial spaceport facility. Georgia and Puerto Rico pursued the project as did Texas when a parcel of land adjacent to Boca Chica Beach drew Musk’s attention. 

Test launches in recent years produced exciting visuals that previewed what large rocket launches could be like in drawing tourists. (Courtesy)

Texas under then Gov. Rick Perry offered Musk $20 million of financial incentives to go with changes in state and county laws to close public beaches during launches and legal protection from noise complaints.

Texas would give Musk and his company additional millions to cover infrastructure costs. By 2015, SpaceX announced it was coming to Boca Chica.  SpaceX has since invested over $400 million in building up its operations and facilities on Boca Chica. It's estimated the company's investment in Cameron County has generated a gross economic output of $885 million. SpaceX is now considered Brownsville’s largest private employer with more than 1600 employees, according to Mayor Trey Mendez.

The SpaceX Starbase facility is clearly visible across the bay to South Padre Island. (Courtesy)

Starbase at Boca Chica began to draw more of South Padre's attention as the site grew from being a commercial spaceport to a place that intended to lift off rockets to space and reach Musk's biggest goal of all – getting an Earth-launched rocket to Mars. A series of modest but very noticeable test launches at Boca Chica generated a fair amount of economic activity, said Nathan Burkhart, the director of business development for the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation.

"We're already seeing the impacts of the test launches alone as both hotels and Airbnbs saw a surge in demand," he said.

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