Elon Musk has expanded his footprint in Texas, moving his companies from California and building offices, warehouses and manufacturing plants across a growing number of Texas counties. Now Mr. Musk is trying to do something that few,

SpaceX is launching a new mission: making its Starbasesite a new Texas city. Billionaire Elon Musk’s company on Thursday has sent a letter to local officials requesting an election to turn what it calls Starbase into an incorporated city.

Elon Musk plans to establish a township, Starbase, for SpaceX employees in South Texas, near the company’s rocket launch site. A petition has been filed demanding a separate municipality Starbase. The proposal includes a small community of about 500 residents,