SpaceX has unveiled plans to build its largest rocket launch complex in southern Louisiana. The facility dubbed as Starbase Louisiana, will cost $100 billion (€85.68bn) and is planned to transform coastal wetlands into a critical base for the company’s Starship and AI satellite launch ambitions. This project serves a similar purpose like the one developed by the company in Florida.
The 50,585-hectare site on Pecan Island, which SpaceX named Starbase Louisiana, will become SpaceX’s fourth launch site in the US.
How Many Starship Flights Will be Launched in a Year
The Starbase campus will eventually launch thousands of Starship flights a year, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said.
The “self-sustaining” spaceport envisioned by SpaceX will include its own methane production for propellant, power generation, deep-water shipping capabilities, vehicle processing facilities and possibly an airport, according to Ms Shotwell.
Also, SpaceX said that ‘large portions’ of the land will remain natural wetlands with no infrastructure.
The site was at the centre of a decade-long legal battle involving Exxon Mobil, after local parishes alleged the oil giant’s coastal drilling and canal dredging contributed to the state’s wetland loss.
According to court documents, the state reached an agreement with Exxon to settle the lawsuit in June, prompting its dismissal the following month.
The case cleared the way for SpaceX’s plans for a launch site on the 29-km coastal strip, which the company had been discussing with the state since February, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has significantly expanded its southern US footprint in recent years, having built Colossus AI data centres in Tennessee and Mississippi and Starlink facilities in Austin, Texas.
“This project means more than just steel, technology and capital,” Mr Landry said.
“It represents jobs for our families. It represents momentum for our communities and it represents protection for our coast.”
Job Creation
SpaceX said the Louisiana site will add more than 3,000 jobs to the region.
The governor’s office said those jobs are expected to pay an average salary of $92,600, which is 192% higher than the average local wage.
Project Factsheet
Project Name: Starbase Louisiana
Location: Pecan Island, Vermilion Parish, Southern Louisiana
Site Area: 50,585 hectares (125,000 acres / 29 km coastal strip)
Project Cost: $100 billion (€85.68 billion)
Target Scale: Thousands of Starship launches per year
Launch Infrastructure: 5 launch complexes featuring 10 total launch pads
Self-Sustaining Features: On-site methane propellant production, dedicated power generation, deep-water shipping capabilities, vehicle processing, potential airport, and employee residential housing
Environmental Design: Large portions retained as natural wetlands; ongoing coastal restoration focus
Primary Mission: Starship operations, Starlink expansions, and orbital AI satellite launches
Economic Impact: 3,000+ local jobs paying an average salary of $92,600 (192% above regional average)
Project Timeline: Construction begins 2027; initial Starship launch targeted for 2029
Project Team
Primary Developers and Operators
- SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.): Owner, developer, and sole operational authority of the facility.
State and Local Government Authorities
- State of Louisiana (Office of the Governor): Key facilitator of state-level agreements and economic policy support.
- Louisiana Economic Development (LED): Coordinates the overall state incentives package, high-impact jobs program, and local economic strategy.
- Vermilion Parish Police Jury / Local Parish Authority: Local governing body managing parish agreements, municipal infrastructure support, and PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) payments.
Prior Property Owner and Legal Parties
- ExxonMobil: The energy corporation that formerly owned the 125,000+ acre coastal property tract prior to the resolution of a long-standing coastal litigation agreement, allowing the state to clear the path for the SpaceX transaction.
Environmental and Regulatory Partners
- Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF): Coordinating entity for wildlife habitat preservation and species protection across the non-developed wetlands.
- Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA): Partnering state agency overseeing the coastal erosion mitigation, marshland restoration, and shoreline protection elements of the buildout.
- Community Foundation of Acadiana: Local philanthropic organization receiving direct community investment funds tied to the project’s development agreement.
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