SpaceX plans $100 billion Louisiana spaceport in coastal Vermilion Parish
Said Tuesday it plans to pour up to $100 billion into a massive new launch facility on Louisiana’s southern coast, turning a stretch of
SpaceX said Tuesday it plans to pour up to $100 billion into a massive new launch facility on Louisiana’s southern coast, turning a stretch of marshland in Vermilion Parish into what state officials say will be the company’s biggest spaceport yet. The site, called Starbase Louisiana, is expected to support thousands of launches a year.
The project gives Elon Musk’s rocket company another major foothold in the American South, where it already operates launch sites in Texas and Florida. For Louisiana, the deal marks a rare industrial prize: a coastal property once owned by Exxon, now set to host the infrastructure behind SpaceX’s reusable Starship program.
A huge bet on Starship
Once built, the Louisiana site will serve as the main launch base for Starship, SpaceX’s in-development rocket and the largest ever built. Company officials and Louisiana Economic Development said the spaceport will be designed for high launch volume, not occasional lift-offs. Thousands of launches annually. That is the scale SpaceX says it wants.
The company said the facility would anchor a wider system of propellant production, power generation, vehicle processing buildings and employee housing. Decrypt reported construction is expected to begin in 2027, with initial flight operations targeted for 2029.
SpaceX’s ambitions stretch well beyond one coast. Musk has talked about expanding Starlink, launching orbital data centers and, one day, reaching Mars. The Louisiana spaceport fits that larger push.
Land, jobs and politics
At the announcement in Abbeville, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the project as a turning point for the state, saying it lifts Louisiana past $250 billion in new investment. He compared the deal’s importance to the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Strong words. The crowd heard them.
Musk did not attend the event, but he appeared with Landry in a promotional video played before the governor spoke. SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell also addressed the gathering. In a video message, Musk said the spaceport would bring “probably 10,000 really exciting jobs” to Louisiana.
The state says the new site will sit on about 125,000 acres in Vermilion Parish, roughly 200 miles west of New Orleans. Officials pointed to the area’s access to abundant natural gas and its ability to support launches on a wide range of trajectories as key advantages.
Another giant facility, another coastal risk
The announcement comes as SpaceX keeps expanding its physical footprint along U.S. coasts. At the same time, the Louisiana site sits amid marshland and open water, a setting that offers space but also demands heavy infrastructure. On recent days before the announcement, pelicans flew over the marsh near the planned site, while an old RV sat near the end of Freshwater City Road. Quiet country ground now tied to a global space race.
SpaceX stock rose about 2% to close at $137.95 after the announcement, according to CNBC. The company, still building out its Starship program, now has a fourth and largest launch site on the drawing board. If the timeline holds, the first flights from Starbase Louisiana could begin in 2029.
