Elon Musk’s SpaceX has announced plans to build a $100 billion spaceport in Louisiana, United States, to launch its Starship megarockets and support future missions to the Moon and Mars.
The facility will be located in Vermilion Parish, about 185 kilometres west of New Orleans. SpaceX said construction is expected to begin next year and the project will create more than 3,000 direct jobs over the next 10 years.
The company said it is committed to investing at least $100 billion in the facility, which will include the infrastructure needed to support thousands of Starship flights annually. The first launches from the new site are expected in 2029.
SpaceX said the planned “Starbase Louisiana” would eventually feature more than a dozen launch towers and could support over 30 Starship flights per day, potentially making it the largest launch site in the world.
Starship, SpaceX’s giant reusable rocket, is currently under development at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas. The rocket is being designed for missions to the Moon and Mars and is central to SpaceX’s long-term goal of enabling human exploration beyond Earth.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said the project would bring significant economic benefits to the state, while the Louisiana Economic Development agency said workers at the facility could earn substantially more than the region’s current average wage.
SpaceX also said it would take steps to protect the coastline and local wildlife around the proposed facility. The announcement comes amid environmental concerns over development along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, which has experienced significant wetland loss.
The project is expected to transform the area into a major centre for space transportation and could significantly expand the United States’ capacity for large-scale rocket launches.
