SpaceX to Build $100 Billion Rocket Complex on Louisiana Coast
The company says the 125,000-acre site in Vermilion Parish will become its largest launch facility, with construction starting in 2027 and a first flight targeted for 2029.
SpaceX said Tuesday it will spend up to $100 billion to build a new Starship rocket launch complex on 125,000 acres of coastal wetland in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, a facility the company and state officials say will become the largest spaceport in the world.
The announcement, made in a joint statement from Louisiana Economic Development and at an event in the nearby town of Abbeville, describes the site as capable of supporting thousands of launches a year. Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, called it "a project like no other" and said it will include propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping access, vehicle processing facilities and an airport, according to Ars Technica.
Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana said the deal marks "a pivotal moment for Louisiana" and pushes the state past $250 billion in new investment, according to the Louisiana Economic Development announcement. Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and chief executive, said in a video posted by the company that the site would bring "probably 10,000 really exciting jobs" to the state. Louisiana's official estimate is more modest: 3,000 direct jobs over ten years, paying an average of $92,600 a year, plus more than 8,100 indirect jobs, according to the state agency's release.
A fourth launch site, chosen after years of searching
SpaceX said the search for the Louisiana property took about seven years, according to a company video cited by CNBC. The land, a former Exxon property known as Pecan Island, became available through a legal settlement over pollution and coastal land loss claims against ExxonMobil, according to Ars Technica. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with a first Starship launch targeted for 2029, though Louisiana's economic development office gave a slightly later timeline of 2030 for initial operations, TechCrunch reported.
The site will become SpaceX's fourth launch location, joining Starbase in South Texas, Cape Canaveral in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to Channel NewsAsia. Unlike the 350-acre Texas site, the Louisiana property gives SpaceX room to build five launch complexes with ten pads total, according to Louisiana's announcement, and a southward-facing coastline that offers a more direct path to polar orbits, Ars Technica reported.
Environmental concerns follow the company from Texas
SpaceX's Texas Starbase has drawn lawsuits, fines and community backlash after environmental violations, including a Clean Water Act notice over its water deluge system and damage to a wildlife nesting site during a 2023 test flight, CNBC reported. SpaceX said it has already begun talks with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Sources
- Official notice SpaceX Launches New Era of Commercial Spaceflight with $100 Billion Louisiana Campus - LED opportunitylouisiana.gov
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