Elon Musk’s SpaceX is petitioning a county in the Texas Rio Grande Valley to incorporate its launch site into an official town called "Starbase, Texas," to serve as the company’s headquarters and "gateway to Mars."

Months after announcing he was moving SpaceX’s headquarters out of California, Musk exclaimed in an X post last week that "SpaceX HQ will now officially be in the city of Starbase, Texas!"

Located within Cameron County in far-south Texas, Starbase is currently an unincorporated community that serves as the hub for much of SpaceX’s rocket manufacturing, launches and operations, including the historic "rocket catch."

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The rocket catch is part of SpaceX’s "Starship" program, which is housed in its Starbase facilities and is seeking to make the first fully reusable rocket designed to propel manned missions to establish a human presence on the moon and Mars.

But to get to Mars, SpaceX says it needs Starbase, Texas, to become official.

"To continue growing the workforce necessary to rapidly develop and manufacture Starship, we need the ability to grow Starbase as a community. That is why we are requesting that Cameron County call an election to enable the incorporation of Starbase as the newest city in the Rio Grande Valley," Starbase general manager Kathryn Lueders said in a letter to Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino.

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To be incorporated into a city in Texas, a county judge must order a special election in the community.

According to Lueders, incorporating Starbase will streamline the process to make Starbase a "world-class place to live" and enable the Starship program to "fundamentally alter humanity’s access to space."

Musk announced SpaceX was moving its former headquarters in Hawthorne, California, to Starbase in July. The reason for the move cited by Musk was California’s SAFETY Act, which prohibits schools from requiring teachers to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender.

"This is the final straw," Musk said on X. "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."

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Now, Lueders said that SpaceX is investing billions in infrastructure in Cameron County and generating hundreds of millions in income and taxes for local businesses and government, "all with the goal of making South Texas the gateway to Mars." 

In her letter to Trevino, Lueders called Starbase a one-of-a-kind location for SpaceX’s future.

"Starbase is a one-of-a-kind location for manufacturing, testing, and launching the most advanced rocket and spaceships ever conceived – a fully and rapidly reusable system that paves the way for humanity’s return to the Moon and eventual travel to Mars," she said. "We look forward to continuing its transformation into a world-class hub for the men and women working to make life multiplanetary."

• After visiting 17 countries, I will always swear by checking a bag during my travel experiences.
• Forgoing a carry-on and checking a bag means I don't have to compete for overhead bin space.
• When traveling with a large checked bag, I get to pack everything I want to bring on my trip.

I consider myself fairly frugal when it comes to travel. I've booked the 6 a.m. flight to save $50 and have flown basic economy more times than I'd care to admit.

But after visiting 17 countries, there's one little luxury I can't go without when flying: checking a bag. Yes, checking a bag both ways can be expensive — usually about $50 to $70 both ways. However, I believe a more comfortable travel experience is worth the splurge.

Checking a bag makes my time in the airport less stressful and helps set a positive tone for my trips — which is why I'll always swear by it.

Checking my bag and forgoing a carry-on makes moving around the airport easier

I hate maneuvering a carry-on around bathroom stalls or pulling my bag behind me while holding my lunch. I find that my carry-on bag is practically tied to me while I'm in the airport, which can become annoying.

To avoid this, I forgo a carry-on and pack everything in my checked bag. Once I turn my bag into an agent, I don't have any cumbersome luggage to bring to the gate. This allows me to move around the airport much more easily.

Boarding a plane without a carry-on is less stressful

Checking a bag means I can avoid the Hunger Games-type madness that comes when it's time to board the plane.

Most passengers with a carry-on try to board as quickly as possible before the space in the airplane's overhead bin runs out. Avoiding this anxiety-inducing exercise and not rushing to board is a little luxury worth the price of checking a bag.

Opting for a large checked bag means I can pack everything I want to bring on my trip

When I traveled with a carry-on, there were times when I ran out of space. I often felt like the abominable snowman, wearing multiple layers and a jacket, which wasn't a nice experience.

Now, packing all my belongings in a large checked bag gives me more choices for what I can bring on my trip. As someone who's a bit indecisive and dislikes the concept of packing light, I feel great having this space to pack several clothing options.

After all, the clothes I'm in the mood to wear when packing may differ from those I want when it's time to get dressed.

In my experience, a large checked bag doesn't make transportation from the airport more difficult

I used to think that having a carry-on would be the most advantageous when I landed — this type of luggage is usually smaller than a checked bag, so I figured taking it on a train or other form of transit would be easy.

However, in reality, I find that the size of my bag usually doesn't matter if I'm just going from the airport to a hotel.

If I were backpacking across Europe, sure, I'd take as little baggage as possible. However, in my opinion, cramming things into a smaller bag doesn't make sense when the effort to get from point A to point B is the same either way.

Traveling can be expensive and anxiety-inducing. Still, if you ask me, checking a bag is a relatively easy way to have a better travel experience.

This story was originally published on August 12, 2024, and most recently updated on December 13, 2024.

• My husband and I improved our 15-hour economy flight by buying an extra seat, a "bubble" seat.
• For about $200 to $240 each way, we had an extra seat in between us.
• We loved having extra space to stretch out during our flight, and we'd do it again. 

Flying economy is never fun.

But on a 15-hour flight from Vancouver to New Zealand, my husband and I found a few ways to make our long journey in economy bearable.

Booking an extra seat (which some call a "bubble" seat) was definitely the best thing we tried.

We bid on a 'bubble' seat to give ourselves extra space during the flight

Seventy-two hours before departure, our airline offered us the option to bid on a "bubble" seat, which allows a traveler to block out the seat next to them.

This seemed like an affordable way to get more space without trying to bid our way into first class — so my husband and I went for it.

We had the option to block out two seats for more money, which would've given us a whole row on the plane.

But since we were flying together and wanted to save money, we bid on one "bubble" seat to share, essentially giving us three seats for two people.

The day before our flight we were informed that our bid was accepted.

We paid 277 Canadian dollars, about $207, for a "bubble" seat on our way to New Zealand and 321 Canadian dollars, about $240, on the return trip.

Both times, we were placed in the plane's middle section, where we had three of the four seats in our row. We still had one person in our row but it was so nice to have the extra space to stretch out.

We also broke up our flight and bought lounge passes during our layover

In addition to bidding on a "bubble" seat, my husband and I chose a flight with a stop in Fiji to make our long-haul journey less painful.

This layover let us stretch our legs and saved us a lot of money, as the connecting flight was half the price of a direct one.

Before our flight home from Fiji to Vancouver, we also bought airport lounge passes for $40 per person.

In the lounge, we comfortably enjoyed our layover with great food and unlimited drinks before getting back on a plane.

The 'bubble' seat was the MVP of our trip

The best thing we did to improve our flying experience was getting a "bubble" seat.

I'd love to see more airlines let travelers bid on "bubble" seats, but booking an extra seat in advance or bidding on upgrades with extra legroom could also be decent alternatives for now.

The main downside of getting a "bubble" seat is that we couldn't choose where we were seated. I usually book a window seat, but both bids placed us in the middle of the plane.

Still, although "bubble" seat prices vary, a few hundred bucks wasn't bad for an extra seat and extra space.

I'd definitely do this again for a long-haul flight.