The newest piece of infrastructure coming to Starbase, Texas isn’t a launch mount or a booster. It’s a water pipeline, and who can hook up a tap (and on what terms) will shape the definition of “company town.”

The new line, which will stretch from Brownsville to the newly incorporated City of Starbase, will replace the truck-hauled deliveries SpaceX has used to transport potable water for its employees and on-site residents. Brownsville Public Utilities Board COO Mark Dombroski confirmed the line at a July 16 meeting, saying the board had executed a contract with SpaceX to provide water as an in-city customer.

The BPUB approved the SpaceX contract on June 2, Dombroski told TechCrunch over email. He did not explain why SpaceX is being treated as an in-city nonresidential customer, which c

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