SpaceX plans $100B Starship launch complex in Louisiana
What's the story
SpaceX has announced plans to build a second spaceport for its Starship mega-rocket. The new launch site will be located on a former Exxon property in Louisiana, after a seven-year search by the company. The facility will be situated along the Gulf Coast in Vermilion Parish, west of New Orleans and some 10 hours from SpaceX's existing Starbase complex in South Texas.
Investment details
Construction to begin in late 2027
SpaceX is investing a whopping $100 billion in the new spaceport, with construction expected to start in 2027. The company has said that the first Starship launch from this site will take place in 2029.
However, Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the state agency overseeing business development, has a slightly more conservative timeline.
It says construction will begin by late 2027 and initial operations are expected to come online in 2030.
Operational hurdles
SpaceX yet to prove Starship is reusable
SpaceX still has to prove that it can fly Starship into low-Earth orbit and make the rocket reusable.
The company has conducted 13 test flights of Starship since 2023. An upcoming 14th test flight could see SpaceX send Starship's upper stage to orbit for the first time.
However, they have yet to return both the booster and upper stage on a single flight, an essential requirement for making Starship truly reusable.
Strategic shift
SpaceX betting big on Starship
Despite the challenges, SpaceX is betting heavily on Starship.
Elon Musk, the company's founder and CEO, said he will retire the Falcon rockets once Starship is flying multiple times a week.
SpaceX has spent over $8 billion developing Starship, which is vital for sustaining and expanding its profitable Starlink satellite internet service.
The company also plans to build an entire network of satellites dedicated to AI processing, which it needs Starship to launch.
Economic impact
New site expected to create thousands of jobs
The new Starbase site is expected to create 3,000 direct new jobs over a decade, with an average annual salary of $92,600.
At the peak of construction, more than 30,000 jobs are expected to be created.
SpaceX has said it wants to make the new site a "self-sustaining spaceport" with propellant production, power generation facilities, and deep-water shipping capabilities, among other things.