This week SpaceX founder and leader Elon Musk has decided to pull SpaceX’s headquarters from Hawthorne, California to Starbase, Texas over a pro-LGBTQ+ law. However, what this actually means is unclear, as this is not the first time Musk has moved its company to Texas over political trouble.
The spur of posts about both SpaceX’s and Musk’s social media site X’s (formally Twitter) move to Texas, came after California governor Gavin Newsome (Democrat) signed into law the state’s SAFTEY act. The law banned schools from informing a student’s parents if they decided to change their pronouns or gender-identity and would like secrecy about it. However, the law doesn’t allow the schools to change the student’s school record’s gender or name without a parent’s consent.
“This is the final straw. Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas,” Musk stated in a post on X. This was later followed by “And 𝕏 HQ will move to Austin.”
It’s important to note that Musk has an openly trans child that changed their gender and name legally to distance themself from their father. Musk blamed the troubled relationship on his child’s education.
Musk has had a long disagreement with California state laws dating back to 2020 with required Covid-19 restrictions and shutdowns to his Tesla facilities. Since then, Musk has grown closer with the republican state of Texas. Musk “moved” to Texas in 2020 with Tesla’s headquarters following in 2021.
SpaceX has been based in the Los Angeles area ever since it was created back in 2002. The company has been at its current location in Hawthorne since 2008 and consists of a rocket factory, engineering hub, and mission control for its Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon missions.
The moving of SpaceX’s headquarters has many political, tax, and legal ramifications but it is mostly that. The moving of thousands of employees and all of its facilities would be a costly venture. Even Tesla, the company Musk wished to rid it self of California, still operates its design studio, Fremont factory, and an engineering hub in the state.
What this likely means is employees that work with the legal and financial parts of SpaceX will move into facilities at Starbase. However, most of the buildings and workers will stay in Hawthorne until the end of the Falcon program.
That end has been coming for a while, although it’s very far away. Most of Starship’s manufacturing and operations already take place in Texas. Of course there is Starbase, where Starship is built, launched, and controlled, then there is McGregor, where a new Raptor engines factory was built and all of SpaceX’s engines are tested.
Is there another motive to this move? Musk has praised Texas for its economy and politics, the state is also planning to start its own stock exchange based out of Dallas. It has been speculated that the exchange will not feature many of the regulations and reporting standards seen on New York’s two exchanges, making it more appealing for Musk to IPO SpaceX and X there and keep his control over the company and transparency.
