September 10, 2026

Annexation update: the city posts a September 21 public hearing

The City of Starbase's official C-4 annexation page now lists a public hearing on Monday, September 21, 2026, at 7:00 PM at 48491 State Highway 4. This is the roughly 7,133-acre, consent-based annexation we've been covering: under the C-4 process only owners who sign on can be annexed, and the city's page hosts the parcel list, map, and FAQ for anyone checking whether their land is in the zone. One honesty note: we reported on September 9 that the September 4 meeting held the second required hearing; the city's page doesn't say how this newly posted hearing relates to those, and no agenda has published yet. We'll report what it covers when the agenda posts, and the vote when it happens.

The stakes haven't changed since our earlier coverage: NPR has reported landowner opposition and questions about a city government largely staffed by SpaceX employees, and the South Texas Environmental Justice Center says it is exploring legal action, citing the 2024 EPA finding that wastewater discharges at the launch site violated the Clean Water Act. The hearing is open to the public.

Sources: City of Starbase — C-4 Annexation (hearing listing, checked this morning) · C-4 Annexation FAQ (PDF) · NPR (Aug. 17)

Know before the next launch: get free Launch Alerts by email, or follow us on X, Facebook and WhatsApp.