October 9, 2026 · City of Starbase · SpaceX

Starbase approved the 45-year SpaceX development agreement unanimously, RGV Business Journal reports

The Oct. 7 vote has a result. "City of Starbase officials unanimously approved a 45-year land development deal with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. on a stormy Wednesday night during a sparsely attended special commission meeting," RGV Business Journal reported Thursday night. Reporter Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza covered the meeting, and her photo caption says the agreement covers "166 acres near Massey Way."

• What it covers: the version in the city's Oct. 7 packet makes Starbase the permit office for about 166 acres along Massey Way to the Rio Grande, outside city limits. City codes apply, zoning does not, and it says it is not consent to annexation. Our read of the terms. The city has not posted the signed version, so we can't yet confirm it matches the packet.
• How long: "The 45-year development agreement deal is the maximum allowed by local Texas government law, which means it's locked in until 2071," the Journal wrote. The packet version also lets SpaceX end it at any time with written notice.
• Why: "Starbase officials said it was about the city's growth and ensuring uniformity and access to emergency services," per the Journal. It also noted the city has annexed other SpaceX land and wrote, "It's not immediately clear why this parcel is different."
• What gets built: the Journal's headline says that "remains a mystery." The packet version lets SpaceX use the land "for any lawful use the Owner elects."
• The city's record: as of Friday morning, the city's meetings page still lists only the agenda and packet for Oct. 7, with no minutes or video, and its ordinances page lists nothing from that meeting.

Flight 15: Space FrontPage posted that "according to the latest CADENA briefing, Starship Flight 15 is currently listed for no earlier than November 8, with Flight 16 following on December 10." CADENA is an air traffic planning network for the Americas, and its Oct. 8 briefing deck on its public site shows only a title slide for the FAA's space operations office. SpaceX has not announced a date, and Starbase Events still lists Flight 15 as "no launch date yet." Treat Nov. 8 as an airspace planning target, not a launch date.

Tonight on Highway 4: the city lists a road delay from 10:55 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday, marked "Port to Production." Boca Chica Beach is open.

Sources: RGV Business Journal, Oct. 8 · City of Starbase, Oct. 7 meeting packet (agreement on pages 45 to 72) · City of Starbase, commission meetings (read Oct. 9) · Space FrontPage on Flight 15 (read Oct. 9) · CADENA public files, Oct. 8 briefing deck · Starbase Events, Flight 15 (read Oct. 9) · City of Starbase, beach and road access (read Oct. 9)

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