SpaceX to move from Hawthorne to Texas, Elon Musk announces

Hawthorne-based SpaceX, the massive aerospace company known for its innovative rockets and space capsules — with billions of dollars worth of contracts with the federal government — will move its headquarters from California to Texas, founder Elon Musk announced on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, July 16.

While the precise impact wasn’t immediately known, the relocation will certainly be a heavy blow to the South Bay and regional economy, likely causing significant job losses.

Musk, who also announced X will move from San Francisco to Austin, said a new law signed Monday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom that bars school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child’s gender identification change was the “final straw.”

“I did make it clear to Governor Newsom about a year ago that laws of this nature would force families and companies to leave California to protect their children,” Musk wrote.

Tesla, where Musk is CEO, moved its corporate headquarters to Austin from Palo Alto in 2021.

Musk has also said that he has moved his residence from California to Texas, where there is no state personal income tax.

Musk has also increasingly involved in politics in recent months. Musk endorsed former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign mere minutes after Trump was rushed from the stage at his rally in Pennsylvania.

Musk has resisted making major political donations in the past, and has even gone as far as to say that he tries to stay out of politics, despite his conservative rhetoric on immigration and cultural issues.

The Associated Press and The New York Times contributed to this report

This is a breaking story; watch for updates.