SpaceX to build major spaceport in Louisiana for Starship rocket launches

SpaceX plans to build a Starship rocket launch complex in southern Louisiana, expanding the company’s launch footprint beyond South Texas and Florida. The project, a $100 billion effort, will sit on a 125,000-acre site on Pecan Island in Vermilion Parish, which SpaceX named “Starbase, Louisiana.” SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the “self-sustaining” spaceport would include propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping capabilities, vehicle processing facilities, and possibly an airport. Construction is set to begin next year, with the first Starship launch scheduled for 2029. The company expects more than 3,000 jobs.