Category Archives: Boca Chica Texas

British Consul General Richard Hyde had an item to cross off his bucket list as he made the rounds with local officials Tuesday during an economic development tour of Texas.

Hyde, who represents the United Kingdom from his office in Houston,stopped by the Dr Pepper Museum in downtown Waco for a quick tour of the former bottling plant and a dose of his favorite soft drink.

British Consul General Richard Hyde gets a drink at the Dr Pepper Museum during a stop in Waco on a Texas road trip.

Hyde said he learned only recently that Dr Pepper was invented in Waco. He said the drink tastes better in the U.S. than in the United Kingdom, where it is not as common.

"I love it," he said, with a plastic cup of Diet Dr Pepper in his hand. "Growing up in England we never had Dr Pepper. We were introduced to it only through fountain drinks. It was only when I came here that I realized actually ... this is by far the best diet drink."

Hyde and senior staff from the consulate began their 1,600-mile tour last week in Grand Prairie, traveling northwest toward Lubbock then to Amarillo before making the trip back southeast. Hyde said the road trip will help the staff get a better understanding of the Lone Star State, helping to inform trade discussions and opportunities.

Hyde said hes been doing the Texas trips for four years, traveling the first time to Midland, Odessa and El Paso before making his way down the border to Boca Chica. In September 2022 he embarked on a second trip to Texarkana, Kilgore, Nacogdoches and Wichita Falls, but the trip was cut short when Queen Elizabeth II passed away that month.

We were determined to find an opportunity to come out and finish the job and go to the Panhandle and visit all those kind of much more remote areas of Texas for us, he said. Now, Waco doesnt really fit into that because Waco is somewhere thats much, much closer to home, but its a town that we too often just go through because were flitting backwards and forwards to Dallas, to Austin.

British Consul General Richard Hyde made a stop Tuesday at the Dr Pepper Museum during a tour of Texas.

The road trips focus on cities outside of the Houston, Dallas and Austin the Texas Trianglespending time in more rural areas to better understand the full picture of Texas economic opportunities for U.K. investors.

We spent a lot of time shuttling between the big cities and thats great, I mean, theyre hugely important, massive cities, Hyde said. But we actually think theres a lot more across Texas that we need to understand in order to help companies who are looking to establish in Texas to have a full kind of range of options.

By getting their boots dirty, he said he hopes to show Texans that the U.K. population is young and dynamic, while also reversing Texas stereotypes in the U.K. to tell a more accurate tale and in turn better facilitate relationships.

The U.K.-U.S. relationship is so important, and what we spend a lot of time doing really is trying to paint a picture of Texas that reflects the modernity, the diversity, the economic opportunity, he said.

Christina Luhn, senior trade policy adviser from the U.S., said her job is to help her British counterparts understand the cultural signposts and iconic symbols in Texas. Hyde credited Luhn for encouraging the tour, as "youve got to get to every bit of the state to understand the state.

British Consul General Richard Hyde (left) and Deputy Consul General Tim Cork take a look at ingredients at the Dr Pepper Museum during their stop in Waco. Senior staff from the British Consulate in Houston are taking a tour around Texas to better understand the state in pursuit of economic opportunities.

Many of the cities the group has visited along the way are smaller, more rural cities that arent growing in population, but Waco doesnt fit that mold, Hyde said. Even though Waco is surrounded by big magnet cities, it is growing significantly and there are some big companies finding a home here, he said.

You know, we were asking what were the big sectors? he said. We were quite surprised to hear theres quite a big service-based industry here as well, and that really surprised me a little bit because the U.K. is very much a service-based economy, financial services, legal services, professional services, and so were always looking for opportunities to kind of promote that.

Hyde said hes also interested in looking at how to foster better academic collaborations between U.K. and Texas universities, naming Baylor and Texas Tech University along his route.

Through conversations with farmers hes learned about cattle, dairy and crop industries and the hardships they face, and he said hell take what hes gained on his trip back to his Houston office to find the best opportunities for both Texas and the U.K. Though they may reside in rural areas, those farmers at the heart of the global market are using highly advanced technology and trading globally, Deputy Consul General Tim Cork said.

Its really big economically, but its also really big culturally as well, Hyde said. So you know, Texans associate closely with kind of rural, rugged individualism so being able to talk to farmers gives you a real flavor of whats going on."

British Consul General Richard Hyde made a stop by the Dr Pepper Museum on Tuesday during a tour of Texas.

On Hydes visit Tuesday he met with Mayor Dillon Meek and the Waco economic development team, the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Farm Bureau, engaging in conversations about what makes Texans tick.

Hyde and Cork shared connections theyve noticed between the U.K. and Texas on their trip, like when they were given a recommendation for a steak restaurant in Amarillo and found out it was British-owned, or when they found out that Dean Sandeep Mazumder of Baylors Hankamer School of Business is also British.

Theres always a British link, Cork said.

At the Dr Pepper Museum, Cork, Luhn and Hyde swapped memories about their first experiences with the Waco-born beverage.

Luhn, the American adviser, shared stories of being a young kid and bottling her own fresh Dr Pepper on an old-school bottling machine.

The three went back and forth trying to decide who is a "pepper," defined by the Dr Pepper Company as a person who loved Dr Pepper. Theyre positive, self-confident, bold, and willing to try something new. Peppers are proud. And Peppers are popular, according to a plaque on the wall of the museum.

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British consul gets taste of Waco and Dr Pepper on Texas road ... - Waco Tribune-Herald

Elon Muskwho famously tweeted in 2020 that, after selling off his California estate, he would "own no house"may be putting down roots after all. The Tesla executive has reportedly been in the process of building an all-glass home through a secret company project near Austin, Texas, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Plans for the construction of what is apparently known as "Project 42" have evolved since they were first drawn up last year. One concept featured a building shaped like a twisted hexagon, with waterfront views and Tesla's factory nearby. Other renderings highlighted a big glass box "with a residential area that appeared to include bedrooms, bathrooms, and a kitchen," the newspaper stated.

Some Tesla employees were reportedly concerned after an order was placed for millions of dollars of large-format glass panels, which allegedly resulted in an internal investigation by Tesla lawyers and board members into the potential misuse of company resources. But, according to the WSJ, both the outcome of Tesla's investigation and the status of the project are unknown.

Musk has long been vocal about his lack of desire for a permanent residence, noting that he's slept at the offices of his companies and in friends' spare bedrooms. In 2021, he revealed that he rents a $50,000 prefab tiny house in Boca Chica, Texas, from his company SpaceX.

Should Musk go through with the whole glass house concept, the billionaire would draw even more resemblances to his fictional counterpart in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery who lives in a glass structure. (Is this a case of life imitating art that imitates life?) And while a glass home certainly gives off a futuristic vibe that feels on brand for Musk, living in a glass structure can certainly have its drawbacks. Apart from the lack of privacy, glass doesn't offer any insulationmeaning the material can lead to uncomfortable temperatures during extreme weather. Plus, the lack of curtains or shades can expose furniture and fabrics to the sun's rays, potentially causing fading and discoloration. Not to mention, a see-through structure makes it harder to fend off burglars. Finally, of course, you know what they say about people who live in glass houses: They shouldn't throw stones.

You love beautiful homes. So do we. Lets obsess over them together.

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Associate Editor

Kelly Allen is the current Associate Editor at House Beautiful, where she covers design, pop culture, and travel for digital and the print magazine. Shes been with the team for nearly three years, attending industry events and covering a range of topics. When shes not watching every new TV show and movie, shes browsing vintage home stores, admiring hotel interiors, and wandering around New York City. She previously worked for Delish and Cosmopolitan. Follow her on Instagram.

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Elon Musk Reportedly Tapped Tesla Funds to Build Himself a ... - House Beautiful

Collecting seashells and using them to decorate sandcastles is a beloved childhood pastime, and one little-known Texas beach has more than any other in the state. Nestled in the Rio Grande Valley, the remote Boca Chica State Park is a magical escape perfect for your next family trip.

White sandy beaches extend as far as the eye can see, allowing for boundless outdoor adventure and a chance to get away from it all.

Camping right on the beach is permitted, so bring your tent or RV!

They come in all different shapes and sizes, with no two bearing an exact resemblance.

Don't forget to bring a camera! The precious memories you'll make deserve to be documented.

The potentially deadly Portuguese man o' war has been known to wash up on the beach, so keep your eyes peeled at all times!

Other types include the Corys Shearwater, Leachs Storm-Petrel, and Magnificent Frigatebird.

Toward the end of the road, you'll begin to see the rolling dunes, pearly white sands, and crystal-clear waters that signify your arrival at Boca Chica Beach.

Click here to learn more about the beach.

Have you ever been to Boca Chica State Park? If so, did you see a lot of seashells? Tell us all about your experience in the comments section below, and check out our previous article for more places in the Rio Grande Valley worth visiting.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.

Address: Boca Chica Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78521, USA

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Boca Chica State Park Is A Hidden Texas Beach Covered In Seashells

Warnings and hazards

Overnight camping is prohibited

Beware of thejellyfish (after storms)

Dogs are allowed on a leash only

Alcohol-free area

Boca Chica Beach is a long and narrow strip of sand running through arid Texas lands along the Gulf shore for about eight miles from the Lower Laguna Madre to the Rio Grande delta. Located on the southernmost point of the state, this place features no businesses or facilities and is remarkably empty and tranquil a perfect holiday destination to escape from civilization.

There are plenty of desolate areas at the beach where youre likely to see no other visitors only wildlife, like red knots and brown pelicans.

The beach is open 24 hours daily and entrance is free. To get to Boca Chica, youll have to drive about twenty-three miles east on Texas Highway 4 from Brownsville until you reach the dead-end and finally find yourself at the beach. If you travel in a street-licensed vehicle, driving on the sand is allowed.

Parking will be no problem either since you can park directly on site. Nevertheless, note that overnight camping at the beach is prohibited.

If you decide to visit Boca Chica Beach, you should prepare for such inconvenience as the absence of restrooms, changing rooms, and rinse showers. No food outlets, concessions, or restaurants are present on-site either. Bring your own food supplies and any beach and sports equipment you may need. Moreover, youd better also take a first-aid kit with a jellyfish sting relief, insect repellent, and sunscreen.

Boca Chica Beach is a part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and, thus, is protected by authorities of various levels. The area features such natural phenomena as mangrove marshes, tidal salt flats, and clay dunes. The water is clear emerald and very clean, good for swimming or doing some water sports.

If youre interested to see wild animals or birds, Boca Chica Beach is a great spot for that. In the spring and summer months, you can witness some of the rarest sea turtles nesting on the shore. Birdwatching will also bring you some bright impressions since you have good chances to spot osprey, hawks, peregrine and aplomado falcons at this beach.

Apart from typical sunbathing and swimming, Boca Chica Beach is a perfect place for diverse outdoor activities, such as picnicking, birdwatching, fishing, snorkeling, kiteboarding, or surfing. Dont forget to bring your own equipment for whatever you decide to do during your beach holiday.

If you're considering staying for one or even a few nights, there are plenty of options available near the beach. Chose your preferred accomodation type and your favourite room provider:

Additionally, there's a number of beaches near Boca Chica Beach which you can visit:

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Boca Chica Beach in Brownsville, Texas - BeachCatcher.com

[EDITORS NOTE: This story has been updated with a response from Cameron County.]

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) SpaceX on Monday changed its plans again and announced that Boca Chica Beach could be closed for most of this work week for tests, according to a new memo obtained by Border Report.

Border Report on Monday morning had obtained a memo sent Sunday sent to Agency Partners and labeled FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY that said Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) will conduct testing 9/12/2022 through 9/16/22 and Hwy. 4 and Boca Chica Beach will be closed.

But a couple hours after Border Report made inquiries to Cameron County and SpaceX asking why such lengthy beach closures were needed, SpaceX issued another memo on Monday afternoon that said Space Exploration Technologies, Corp. (SpaceX) has revoked closure dateson 9/13 through 9/16 and Hwy 4 and Boca Chica Beach will be open.

Then on Monday afternoon, the company announced that it was closing the beach on Tuesday for tests and could possibly be closed on Wednesday and Thursday if more time is needed to finish the exercises.

The beach was closed on Monday for tests, just four days after a massive grassfire burned dozens of acres during a rocket test Thursday.

The fire raised the ire of environmentalists who say SpaceX is damaging the ecosystem and threatening local wildlife.

Its outrageous! The public is just losing their beach even though they have a right to it, Jim Chapman, an environmentalist with the grassroots group SaveRGV and vice president of the nonprofit Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, told Border Report on Monday.

SpaceX says jump and the county says how high?' Chapman said.

The Sunday memo obtained by Border Report was not posted on Cameron Countys website where closures of Boca Chica Beach are listed.

But Monday afternoon a letter signed by Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevio Jr., approving the closure of Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX non-flight testing activities from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m on Tuesday, and allowing Wednesday and Thursday as alternate dates to complete its testing activities was posted on the countys website.

After the posting, Juan Gonzalez, chief counsel for Cameron County, sent Border Report an email on Monday afternoon saying the closures requested and approved for September 13th14thand 15thexperienced a miscommunication between SpaceX and Cameron County that has now been corrected.

Border Report has reached out to SpaceX to ask why they needed so many testing days, and to explain the fire that ensued following the Sept. 8 rocket test on the remote area that borders Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico.

This story will be updated if a response is received.

On May 29, 2020, Border Report captured on video an explosion at the same SpaceX launch facility as it was conducting tests.

SpaceX wants to launch its Starship/Super Heavy spacecraft from South Texas and is conducting multiple tests with that goal despite pushback from local environmentalists and many residents who are angered every time the 20-mile stretch of rural highway and public beach are closed.

In June, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)on the agencys environmental review of SpaceXs request to launch the largest spacecraft known to Earth from the rural South Texas border beach.

SpaceX tweeted Thursday that the private space company had completed a 6-engine static fire test at Starbase, which is the name the company has given for its commercial spaceport in South Texas.

Several posts on social media asked about a fire that was immediately seen after the test firings but the company did not reply or explain.

The grassfire lasted about five hours after the SpaceX test.

Chapman said the fire occurred on state-owned lands and Texas Parks & Wildlife allowed it to burn itself out rather than step onto sensitive wildlands to extinguish the blaze.

Chapmans group, Save RGV, along with the Sierra Club and the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe, have sued the Texas General Land Office, Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Cameron County challenging the closure of a public state beach in Texas, which they say is a violation of Texas Open Beaches Act.

However, a judge in July ruled the groups have no right to sue these organizations.

Chapmans group is appealing and he said Monday he wishes they could do more, especially with so many recent beach closures.

An activist with SaveRGV told Border Report that SpaceX has caused over 600 hours of closures of Boca Chica Beach so far this year.

Theyre way, way, way over their limit for closures, Chapman said. We should do something.

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EXCLUSIVE: SpaceX closing South Texas public beach for entire workweek ...

The interior of a Boxabl instant house. Boxabl/Twitter

The worlds second richest man Elon Musk, despite a net worth of $166 billion, famously doesnt want to own any assets so that he can focus on the bigger missions of making Earth greener (Tesla) and moving human beings to Mars (SpaceX). Hes not kidding. The multi-billionaire recently said hed sold all of his mansions in California except for one event house in the Bay Area.

But the man still needs a place to live. Earlier this month, Musk tweeted that his primary residence now is a small rented house in Boca Chica, Texas, near SpaceXs development and test site.

The Houston Chronicle revealed in a Monday report what the inside of Musks humble home looked like: Its literally a boxa mass-produced, 20 feet x 20 feet foldable, prefabricated home made by Boxabl, a startup making modular instant houses.

The Boxabl Casita Musk reportedly lives in is set up like a studio apartment, with one large room partitioned into a living room and bedroom area, a fully equipped kitchen band a bathroom with a tub shower, the Chronicle reported.

Its kinda awesome though, Musk tweeted.

Last November, Boxabl posted a video on YouTube announcing that the company had just built a Casita house for a high-profile and top-secret customer in Boca Chica. The customer was apparently related to SpaceX because the house shown in the video had a poster of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the door.

The identity of that top-secret customer became even clearer after Musk tweeted earlier this month that his current home is a $50,000 house in Boca Chica.

On Sunday, the YouTuber Meet Kevin tweeted that hed asked Boxabl CEO whether Musk currently lives in a Boxabl house. The CEO replied, Cant say.

Boxabls official handle later retweeted Meet Kevins post with a wink-wink reply, No comment.

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Elon Musks New Permanent Home Is a $50,000 BoxTake a ... - Observer

The Chevy Bolt EV is still alive as it delivers a record quarter of sales. Theres so much demand that GM announced its plans to increase production which is hardly shocking because the car is a steal at its current price point.

The Bolt EV seemed to be on life support for a while now. We had doubts that it would stay in GMs lineup as the automaker launched a new generation of electric vehicles based on its Ultium platform making the Bolt EV show its age.

Of course, the now fixed battery fires that led to a recall of all Bolt EV batteries also didnt help the EVs case.

But recently, GM confirmed that the Bolt EV and the bigger Bolt EUV are going to stay in its lineup for now. When we visited the Chevy experience center, they told us as much and showed us the big differences between the Equinox and the Bolt most notably the width of the cars, interior, charging speed and drive options.

Today, GM released its Q3 2022 delivery results, and the automaker confirmed that the Bolt EV and EUV had their best combined quarter for deliveries with almost 15,000 deliveries in the US:

Record quarterly sales of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, which totaled 14,709 units combined.

GM also expects another record quarter in Q4 since it now has delivered about 22,000 Bolt EVs and EUVs so far this year, but it now says that it expects about 44,000 vehicles in 2022.

We heard from sources that GM has already produced a lot of Bolt EVs that are sitting, waiting for chips. If they come in Q4, it could help GM quickly ramp up deliveries during the last few months of the year.

Now GM says that it plans to go from 44,000 Bolt EV and EUV vehicles in 2022 to more than 70,000 in 2023:

In response to unprecedented customer demand, GM plans to increase calendar-year production for global markets from approximately 44,000 vehicles in 2022 to more than 70,000 in 2023.

It is not exactly surprising that GM is seeing high demand for the electric vehicle considering thatthe 2023 Chevy Bolt EV and EUV got a significant $6,000 price cutwhen most other EVs in the US are seeing price increases.

Electrek previously reported that the price decrease has made the Chevy Bolt EV the best value EV in the US, though some dealers have taken the opportunity to markup the price.

You can check withyour local dealers for GM Bolt EV inventoryto see if you can find a deal.

Despite the focus on the Ultium platform, the Bolt EV/EUV is still responsible for the vast majority of GMs EV deliveries with smaller numbers coming from the Ultium-based Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq.

GM is reporting only 36 Cadillac Lyriq deliveries and 411 GMC Hummer EV deliveries in Q3, but it disclosed that there should be a big ramp-up in Q4:

Cadillac LYRIQ production will increase in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter. Additional production shifts for GMC HUMMER EV are planned for 2023. All of GMs 2023 EV launches, including the Chevrolet Silverado EV, Chevrolet Blazer EV (summer) and Chevrolet Equinox EV (fall), are on schedule.

With the Silverado EV, Blazer EV and Equinox EV which are due in 2023, things should ramp up massively for GM on the EV front in Q4 and entering 2023.

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Chevy Bolt EV lives with record sales, GM wants to increase production - Electrek.co

NASA and SpaceX last week agreed to an unfunded study to investigate the feasibility of boosting the Hubble Space Telescope, which is at risk of falling out of orbit in the next decade, into a higher orbit.

SpaceX approached NASA earlier this year about potentially using one of its Dragon spacecrafts to move the telescope to a higher altitude,Thomas Zurbuchen, NASAs associate administrator for science, said in a press conference Thursday.

Hubble was placed into orbit in 1990 and was last serviced and repaired by astronauts in 2009 at an altitude of 350 miles. In the last 13 years it has fallen by about 20 miles, according to The New York Times.

Despite signing the Space Act Agreement with SpaceX for the six-month project on Sept. 22, Zurbuchen added, "I want to be absolutely clear, Were not making an announcement today that we definitely will go forward with a plan like this."

NASA HUBBLE TELESCOPE HITS NEW MILESTONE IN MYSTERY OF UNIVERSE'S EXPANSION RATE

An astronaut aboard the space shuttle Atlantis captured this image of the Hubble Space Telescope on May 19, 2009. (NASA)

Any endeavor to reposition the telescope would be privately funded at no cost to the government, NASA said, adding that the study wasn't exclusive and it would welcome proposals from other space companies.

Moving the telescope to a higher orbit could give Hubble more years of operability, NASA said.

BOCA CHICA, TX - FEBRUARY 11: The Crew of the next SpaceX private astronaut flight called Polaris Dawn, (Left to Right) Anna Menon, who works to develop astronaut operations for SpaceX, Sarah Gillis, lead space operations engineer, SpaceX, Scott Poteet, who served as the mission director of the Inspiration4 mission SpaceX, and Jared Isaacman, who is financing the mission, Pose at the Starbase Complex in Boca Chica. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington)

"What we want to do is expand the boundaries of current technology," SpaceXs Jessica Jensen,vice president of Customer Relations & Integration, said."We want to show how we use commercial partnerships as well as the public-private partnerships to creatively solve challenging and complex problem missions such as servicing Hubble."

She said SpaceX is looking at the capabilities of the Dragon capsule to see how it would need to be "modified in order to safely rendezvous and dock with Hubble."

NASA'S HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SPOTS FARTHEST STAR EVER SEEN

This combination of images made available by NASA shows the Hubble Space Telescope orbiting the Earth (NASA via AP)

Without repositioning, NASA may have to eventually destroy the telescope and guide it as it falls from orbit into the ocean, the Times reported.

Any potential mission would be a collaboration between SpaceX and billionaireJared Isaacmans Polaris Program, a planned series of spaceflights with SpaceX, one of which Isaacman has said would include the first civilian spacewalk.

Last year, Isaacman headed Inspiration4, the first all-civilian crewed SpaceX mission.

The M74 galaxy shines at its brightest in this combined optical/mid-infrared image, featuring data from both the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. With Hubbles venerable Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Webbs powerful Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) capturing a range of wavelengths, this image has remarkable depth. (ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST Team; ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar Acknowledgement: J. Schmidt)

Over the years, the Hubble telescope has taken spectacular images and videos of the cosmos, including the discovery of moons around Pluto.

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The telescope is named after leading 20th century American astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953), who, among other discoveries, found evidence that other galaxies exist beyond the Milky Way.

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NASA, SpaceX to study feasibility of boosting beleaguered Hubble Space Telescope into higher orbit - Fox News

As SpaceX works toward the first orbital launch of a Starship from South Texas, its with the idea of deploying hundreds of the Starlink communications satellites the company has said are key to its future.

Elon Musks private space company this month has been conducting static fire tests full dress rehearsals for a rocket in preparation for the massive Starships long-sought first trip into orbit from Boca Chica. Its also been raising billions of dollars to fund the Starship and Starlink projects.

While Musk has been widely quoted about his dreams of colonizing Mars and taking people and cargo to the moon, his companys immediate plans are in low earth orbit, with a satellite business thats taking an increasingly Texas flavor.

The big secret that is not so secret is that they now have actual Starlink satellites there in Boca Chica and have loaded them in to SN24 like a giant PEZ dispenser, an ex-SpaceX employee said this week, referring by number to a Starship thats been on the launch pad since early last month. On the first orbital launch from Boca, Elon wants to deploy satellites on its very first test mission, which is very ambitious.

Launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center at Port Canaveral, Fla., at 10:14 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, launching Starlink satellites. In the foreground is the booster from last Thursday's SpaceX KPLO mission, that returned to Port Canaveral on the drone ship, now suspended on the giant mobile harbor crane. (Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via AP)

On ExpressNews.com: Its not going to be as sexy: Boca Chica looks toward a SpaceX future less lofty than itd hoped

The former employee spoke on condition of anonymity to share knowledge of the companys plans.

In a tweet early this month, Musk said a *successful* orbital flight is probably between 1 and 12 months from now.

SpaceX has long touted Starships potential to ramp up its Starlink network. In 2019, Gwynne Shotwell, president and CEO, said that while its Falcon 9 rocket could launch 60 Starlink satellites per batch, Starship could take 400 satellites at a time into orbit.

Since 2019, the company has deployed thousands of satellites into low-Earth orbit to create its planned constellation of tens of thousands of orbiting transmitters beaming internet service to customers from 100 miles above the planet. The Starlink service is available in parts of Texas, and Musk recently said its now active in Ukraine.

A photo provided by SpaceX shows a view of SpaceXs Starlinks satellites just before being deployed on May 24, 2019. Various companies are pressing ahead with plans for internet service from space, which has prompted astronomers to voice concerns about the impact on research from telescopes on Earth. (SpaceX via The New York Times) -- NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY WITH NYT STORY SPACEX LAUNCH BY SHANNON HALL FOR NOV. 11, 2019. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED. --

In anticipation of the orbital launch, SpaceX fans have posted articles, tweets and YouTube videos about Starlink sightings at the Starship compound.

The YouTube fanboy videos are guessing correctly, the ex-SpaceX employee said. But the average Joe on the street certainly isnt aware of it.

In the meantime, SpaceX is continuing to use the Falcon 9 to grow its satellite business. Last week, the reusable rocket carried 46 Starlink satellites to low-earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It was the companys tenth flight of the Falcon 9 booster, including two Starlink missions.

On ExpressNews.com: Elon Musk warns SpaceX faces genuine risk of bankruptcy if engine production troubles continue

SpaceX, which is headquartered in Hawthorne, Calif., has built a launch facility in Boca Chica it calls Starbase, and a rocket testing facility in McGregor, near Waco.

In this photo provided by the U..S. Space Force, a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket carrying Starlink mission 3-3 launches from Space Launch Complex-4E on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, at 2:40 p.m. PDT, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. SpaceX has launched 46 more Starlink satellites into orbit from California. The satellites were carried aboard a Falcon 9 rocket that blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the central coast at 2:40 p.m. Friday. (Airman 1st ClassCKadielle Shaw/U.S. Space Force via AP)

While the private company continues to manufacture its Starlink units in Redmond, Wash., east of Seattle, its also apparently preparing to start making them in Texas.

To keep up with global demand, SpaceX is breaking ground on a new, state of the art manufacturing facility in Austin, TX, the company said in a March 2021 job posting seeking an engineer for its Starlink satellite internet division.

Tuesday, SpaceXs website had three job openings in Austin including a senior application software engineer, facilities engineer and development test engineer.

Our team is currently creating and evolving systems to enable rapid build and reuse of Starship as well as designing the next generation manufacturing software that will be used in high throughput factories for Starlink, according to the software engineer posting. Other applications range from platforms that support concurrent streams of data from many always-on assets to manage the worlds largest satellite constellation to public facing systems where customers can join our Starlink network globally.

Another four of the companys 120 jobs postings for Brownsville made references to Starlink.

SpaceX performed a static fire of a single Raptor engine on the Super Heavey Booster 7 on Monday, Aug. 8, 2022 at its Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas. (SpaceX/TNS)

Starship prototypes went through five suborbital tests in the spring of 2021. Until earlier this year, though, the engines had fallen silent.

The static fire tests being conducted as recently as last week on the Starship on the launch pad at Starbase are a sign SpaceX is advancing toward launching the vehicle into orbit from the Boca Chica site.

Last weeks successful tests came nearly a month after an explosion rocked the site while firing the rockets engines, creating a fireball that sent plumes of smoke into the skies above nearby Boca Chica Beach.

On ExpressNews.com: SpaceX booster test explosion, fire slows companys progress toward orbital launch from Boca Chica

Yeah, actually not good. Team is assessing damage, Musk, founder of SpaceX, said in tweet on July 11.

William Stark of Dallas walk on Boca Chica beach as SpaceX Booster 7 is seen at the launchpad on Friday, July 1, 2022. For years, Elon Musk has touted SpaceXs compound in Boca Chica as the Gateway to Mars the site from which his company would launch its massive Starship to carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. But South Texas residents now fear Musk is abandoning Starbase as his premiere launch site.

Musk, who flew to Starbase that night, said problems arose from testing all the Raptor 2 engines on the booster at once. This particular issue, however, was specific to the engine spin start test (Raptor has a complex start sequence), he said. Going forward, we wont do a spin start test with all 33 engines at once.

SpaceX managed to save the hardware, he said, and the booster was inspected.

The explosion came about a month after the Federal Aviation Administration concluded an environmental review of SpaceXs plans for orbital launches from the 47-acre facility, issuing a finding of no significant impact. The FAA said it would require SpaceX to take more than 75 actions to mitigate environmental impacts before issuing the operator license needed to launch from the site.

The company hasnt yet obtained a license from the FAA.

Last week, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission suggested another Starship launch date as it said SpaceX could pursue radio-spectrum tests between Sept. 9 and March 1. The FCC granted special temporary authority for the company to conduct experimental orbital demo and recovery test of the Starship test vehicle from Boca Chica TX, according to an FCC filing.

The radio spectrum license is just to let FCC and FAA know that they will be communicating radio signals on frequencies throughout the upper levels of the stratosphere and possibly beyond, the ex-SpaceX employee said. They need FCC approval so as not to conflict with any possible telecommunications satellite.

eric.killelea@express-news.net

Original post:

SpaceX satellite biz banking on South Texas Starship launch