Business & Finance
SpaceX plans $100 billion Starbase Louisiana spaceport along Gulf Coast
The company ended a seven-year search for a second mega-rocket facility, aiming for Starship launches by 2029 or 2030.
The short version
- SpaceX announced plans to invest up to $100 billion to build "Starbase Louisiana" in Vermilion Parish, a major new spaceport to support future Starship rocket operations.
- The self-sustaining complex is planned to feature factories, propellant production, deep-water shipping capabilities, vehicle processing facilities, and an airport.
- Construction is slated to begin in 2027, with SpaceX aiming for a first launch by 2029 and state officials expecting initial operations by 2030.
Key facts
- SpaceX has selected a former Exxon property along the Gulf Coast in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, for its second major spaceport after a seven-year search.[TechCrunch · CNBC]
- Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced that SpaceX is committing up to $100 billion to the development, which Gwynne Shotwell, the company's president and COO, described as a larger-scale replication of its Texas Starbase facility.[Ars Technica]
- Louisiana Economic Development projects the project will create 3,000 direct jobs over 10 years with an average salary of $92,600, along with over 30,000 peak construction jobs, while Elon Musk estimated the project will bring approximately 10,000 jobs.[TechCrunch · CNBC]
- SpaceX plans to partner with Louisiana state agencies to address potential wildlife impacts and assist with coastal restoration and storm protection efforts.[TechCrunch · CNBC]
- The new facility is intended to serve as the primary launch site for the Starship rocket, which SpaceX must still prove can achieve regular orbital flights and full reusability.[TechCrunch · CNBC]
What remains uncertain
- Whether SpaceX will successfully meet its target of a first Starship launch from the site by 2029, given that state economic officials project initial operations starting in 2030 and SpaceX has yet to demonstrate complete Starship reusability.[TechCrunch]
- Whether SpaceX plans to establish a company-governed town around the Louisiana facility similar to its developments in Boca Chica, Texas.[TechCrunch]