SpaceX appears to be planning to transform the sleepy village of Boca Chica into a 21st-century spaceport and resort.
A recent SpaceX job opening spotted by CNBC space reporter Michael Sheetz has given a glimpse into the launch provider’s plans for its Boca Chica site. The opening is for a “Resort Development Manager” who will be responsible for “developing the town [Boca Chica] into a 21st century Spaceport.” Additionally, the job description calls for “the development of SpaceX’s first resort from inception to completion.”
SpaceX began exploring the possibility of constructing a private commercial launch facility in Boca Chica in 2012 and confirmed it had selected the site in August 2014. As the site expanded and the launch provider began testing prototypes of its Starship launch vehicle, it was determined that the nearby residential area would be affected.
As a result, in September 2019 SpaceX offered owners three times the “fair market value” of each property. Although many residents initially pushed back against what they saw as billionaire owner Elon Musk trying to run them out of town, by March 2020 the vast majority of residents had accepted their offers and moved on.
With the village now all but cleared, it was expected that SpaceX would accelerate plans to develop the launch site. With work on a new “high bay” building and a hexagonal launchpad progressing quickly, the expected acceleration of the site’s development appears to be underway.
The recent job opening is, however, the company’s first indication that it plans to not only build a spaceport in Boca Chica but its “first resort”. Although the job opening does not give any clear indication of what form the resort will take, it does detail “experience working for high-end brand luxury development” as a preferred skill. This may indicate that SpaceX plans to build a high-end space travel experience much like what Virgin Galactic is doing at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
