SpaceX Plans to Build $100 Billion ‘Starbase’ Spaceport in Louisiana

SpaceX has unveiled plans to build a second spaceport for its Starship mega-rocket launches at a former Exxon site in Louisiana, marking the conclusion of what the company describes as a seven-year quest for the optimal location.

This new launch facility will be situated along the Gulf Coast in Vermilion Parish, west of New Orleans, about a 10-hour drive from SpaceX’s existing Starbase in South Texas. The company intends to invest $100 billion, with construction scheduled to begin in 2027, and it is projected that the first Starship launch will take place in 2029.

Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the state agency focused on business growth, offers a slightly more conservative timeline, predicting that construction will start by the end of 2027, with early operations anticipated to commence in 2030.

Before these plans materialize, SpaceX continues to work towards successfully flying Starship into low-Earth orbit and achieving reusability, similar to its current Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. Since 2023, SpaceX has completed 13 test flights of Starship, meeting various developmental benchmarks, but much work remains ahead.

An upcoming 14th test flight might allow SpaceX to send Starship’s upper stage into orbit for the first time. However, the company has not yet managed to return both the booster and upper stage to the launch pad in a single flight—a crucial requirement for true reusability of Starship. Additionally, SpaceX must demonstrate that it can recover and refurbish the vehicle quickly enough to achieve its ambitious target of launching several Starships each week.

Despite these challenges, SpaceX is strongly betting on Starship’s success. Last week, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk announced plans to retire the Falcon rockets once Starship begins flying multiple times weekly. His comments reaffirmed earlier reports from Bloomberg News that the company has already informed potential customers about the expected end of the Falcon program.

According to SEC filings, SpaceX has invested over $8 billion in the development of Starship. This rocket— the largest and most powerful ever built— is crucial for sustaining and expanding the only profitable segment of SpaceX’s operations: its Starlink satellite internet service. Moreover, SpaceX aims to develop a comprehensive network of satellites dedicated to AI processing, relying on Starship for their launches.

The new Starbase facility is projected to create 3,000 direct jobs over a decade, with an average annual salary of $92,600, as reported by LED. At the peak of construction, over 30,000 jobs are expected to be generated.

It remains uncertain if SpaceX plans to develop a company town around the new Starbase site, akin to the one created in Texas. The Texas location, previously known as Boca Chica and now called Starbase, features its own ZIP code and a volunteer fire station, and is in the process of establishing a police force and community library operated by a local government comprising SpaceX employees and their families.

In its announcement, SpaceX indicated its intention to develop the new site into a “self-sustaining spaceport” equipped with “propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping capabilities, vehicle processing facilities, and an airport.”

As a combination of a launch complex and an active construction site, the Texas Starbase location has experienced notably high injury rates over the past decade, becoming SpaceX’s most hazardous site. The company has reported hundreds of injuries to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, including a tragic incident in May when a construction worker from a third-party contractor fell to his death at Starbase.

“We are thrilled to be in this position to seize one of the best opportunities of a lifetime which will not only bring a variety of jobs to our Parish but also provide opportunities for our grandchildren to find employment here,” stated Chad Vallo, President of the Vermilion Parish Police Jury.

Having faced criticism and legal challenges regarding its impact on the local ecosystem surrounding its Texas site, SpaceX has reportedly “already engaged the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, and other relevant state agencies to proactively address potential impacts on wildlife, fisheries, and their supporting habitats,” according to LED.

The company also stated that it is “collaborating with state and federal agencies to enhance Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act projects. This includes the construction of Gulf shoreline protection breakwaters to mitigate wave energy and reduce shoreline erosion in the area.