SpaceX has unveiled plans to build a $100 billion spaceport in Louisiana to launch its Starship rocket thousands of times a year. Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin late next year near the southern coast of Vermilion Parish, with the first launch targeted for 2029, according to an economic development website.
The project represents a dramatic shift for both SpaceX and the American rocket industry. Louisiana, which has never hosted an orbital space launch, could become the busiest spaceport on the planet.
The new complex will be named Starbase Louisiana, after the newly incorporated SpaceX city in southern Texas. The Texas location currently serves as the development and testing site for Starship, having hosted 13 test flights with varying degrees of success.
The proposed Louisiana facility is designed to host Starship flights once the vehicle is operational and has proven its ability to carry cargo safely into orbit. SpaceX intends to land and recover every part of the Starship system, including the upper spacecraft, an unprecedented step aimed at enabling rapid reuse and lowering launch costs.
To support that recovery process, the Louisiana site will feature numerous towers standing hundreds of meters tall. These structures will be used to recapture returning rockets and spacecraft as they descend from space.
Launch Facility Plans
SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk stated on his social media platform SpaceX on Tuesday that Starbase Louisiana would ultimately feature more than a dozen launch towers. Musk said the facility would enable more than 30 Starship flights per day, making it the largest launch site on Earth.
Speaking at an announcement event in Louisiana on Tuesday, SpaceX chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell described the project as a self-sustaining spaceport. Shotwell said the site would include its own propellant production, power generation, deepwater navigation capability, vehicle processing facilities, and likely an airport.
SpaceX worked quietly on the project with Louisiana elected officials for months before the public announcement. Company executives conducted multiple site visits to evaluate locations, prompting local media outlets to describe the initiative as the best kept secret in the state.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, framed the project as an opportunity for lasting prosperity. Landry said that past industries had entered the state to extract wealth rather than build long-term economic strength, leaving Louisiana with environmental damage while outside entities took profits. He said the proposal from Musk and SpaceX represented a different path for the state.
Testing Schedule and Regulatory Requirements
Many specifics of the project remain subject to change because Starship is not yet operational. SpaceX aims to launch its most critical test flight to date as early as September, seeking to reach orbit for the first time. Further testing will be required to demonstrate how the upper stage can land safely and be prepared for future flights.
The scale of the proposed Louisiana spaceport means it will undergo extensive regulatory evaluations. The project website confirmed that the site will be subjected to all required environmental, wetlands, natural resources, and launch-related reviews.
Regulatory reviews for the smaller SpaceX complex in Texas took nearly ten years to complete. Environmental advocacy groups in Texas continue to challenge the company in court over the local impacts of rocket testing.
Shotwell stated on Tuesday that SpaceX intends to keep large portions of the 125,000-acre site in Louisiana untouched so that valuable wetlands remain intact as wildlife habitats. She said the company would assist in funding environmental protection, restoration, and management throughout the construction phase.
Transitioning from Falcon 9 to Starship
The announcement underscores growing confidence within SpaceX that Starship will become the foundation of its launch operations. The company has already indicated that it plans to phase out its Falcon 9 rocket, currently the most active launch vehicle in the world, in favor of Starship once the new vehicle enters regular service.
SpaceX vice president of launch Kiko Dontchev stated on Tuesday morning that a Falcon 9 launch conducted earlier that day would be the final one carrying Starlink internet satellites from Florida. Florida launch sites between Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, located east of Orlando, currently form the busiest spaceport area in the world.
Dontchev said all future Florida Starlink missions will be conducted using Starship, while launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the West Coast will continue using Falcon 9 rockets for the time being. He praised the launch team for establishing Falcon 9 as the most reliable launch vehicle in history and for building the world's largest low Earth orbit satellite constellation.
SpaceX plans to continue launching Starship from its existing facility in Texas and may initiate Starship flights from Florida later this year. However, the planned Starbase Louisiana complex is intended to serve as the main operational hub for the rocket system.
