[MAIL] Elon Musk’s SpaceX is said to be making its final attempt to buy out the remaining residents of Boca Chica Village to build a private resort to launch rockets into orbit – but the last 10 inhabitants of the Texas hamlet are refusing to budge.
Negotiations are said to have reached a crucial moment, with the company hinting that it may ‘pursue alternative approaches’ to advance with its ambitious plans for the area, according to Business Insider.
Musk began buying up homes and land in the area in 2015 to expand his SpaceX empire and build a test site for his Starship-Super Heavy program, a 394-foot-tall reusable rocket system.
When complete, the Starship could slash the cost of reaching space a hundredfold, while also enabling frequent and relatively affordable access to orbit, the moon, and Mars, as well as hypersonic travel around Earth.
But that dream, in addition to building a ‘resort’ for employees and important guests around the launch site, recently hit a major stumbling block.
The project’s future may now rest solely on persuading all who still live in the tiny town - most of whom are elderly or retired - to leave. And for them, Musk’s mission to Mars comes at a heavy cost for their once tranquil life on Earth. |