SpaceX plans $100B Louisiana launch site for Starship rockets

Key Points:

• SpaceX announced plans to build its largest rocket launch site, Starbase Louisiana, on a 125,000-acre site in southern Louisiana, with a $100 billion investment aimed at supporting thousands of Starship flights annually.
• Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the first Starship launch planned for 2029, and the project is projected to create over 3,000 jobs, potentially growing to 10,000 according to CEO Elon Musk.
• The complex will feature launch pads, vehicle processing facilities, methane fuel production, power generation, and possibly an airport and deep-water shipping capabilities to transport Starships from Texas.
• The development was enabled by a legal settlement with ExxonMobil over wetland loss, and SpaceX plans to support environmental protection efforts in the protected migratory bird habitat near Pecan Island.
• Starship is critical to SpaceX’s Starlink network expansion and NASA’s Artemis moon mission, complementing existing launch sites in Texas, Florida, and California.