At a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday for SpaceX's planned commercial spaceport, CEO Elon Musk promised his company would transform the small stretch of the Texas Gulf Coast into a hub for cutting edge aerospace technology.

"With today's groundbreaking at Boca Chica Beach, we will begin an investment in South Texas that will create hundreds of jobs and, over time, contribute hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy," Musk said at the ceremony.

"This announcement represents a huge step forward for our state and continues our nation's proud legacy of scientific advancement," Texas Governor Rick Perry said.

The entrepreneur added that SpaceX's seaside spaceport near Boca Chica Beach would not just send commercial satellites into orbit, but would pave the way for the colonization of Mars.

"The thing that's going to fundamentally affect humanity's future is are we multi-planet species or are we a single planet species?" Musk said. "A single planet species is much more vulnerable."

Musk, whose company currently launches its rockets from Florida and California, also made sure to express his affinity for Texas.

"We want to be in a place where we're truly wanted," Musk said, explaining why he chose to come to Brownsville. "The fundamental point that swayed SpaceX for Boca Chica was the tremendous outpouring of support from local residents."

Of course, roughly $20 million in state and local incentives likely helped Texas's chances. Perry also announced an additional influx of $4.4 million from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund to create a research and tech commercialization program called STARGATE.