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SpaceX to build $100 billion spaceport, targets first Starship flight in 2029
New facility is designed to support thousands of Starship flights each year
Washington: Elon Musk-led SpaceX is planning to build its largest rocket launch complex in southern Louisiana, with an investment of at least $100 billion, as it looks to establish a major base for future Starship missions.
The company plans to begin construction of Starbase Louisiana in 2027, with the first Starship launch from the facility targeted for 2029, according to a company statement.
SpaceX said the marshland site is being designed as a self-sustaining spaceport capable of supporting thousands of Starship flights each year, with missions planned for Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
The proposed facility will include infrastructure for propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping, vehicle processing and an airport, creating an extensive launch and logistics ecosystem at the site.
SpaceX said it plans to invest at least $100 billion in the project and create more than 3,000 jobs, with recruitment focused heavily on nearby communities.
The company also plans to tap Louisiana’s existing workforce and its experience in building and operating complex infrastructure in the state’s challenging environment.
The company thanked Louisiana governor Jeff Landry for supporting the project, signalling close cooperation between SpaceX and the state as plans for the new spaceport take shape.
The Louisiana project would significantly expand SpaceX’s Starship infrastructure and add another major launch location to its US operations. The company envisions Starbase Louisiana supporting a high-frequency launch programme rather than serving as a conventional launch site.
The announcement comes after SpaceX recently achieved another operational milestone, launching two Falcon 9 rockets from opposite US coasts just 38.5 minutes apart, its shortest-ever gap between orbital missions.
The back-to-back launches took SpaceX’s total number of orbital missions in 2026 to 96, underlining the company’s increasingly rapid launch cadence.
With construction scheduled to begin next year, Starbase Louisiana represents a particularly large bet on Starship’s future. If completed as planned, the facility would combine launch operations, manufacturing support and logistics infrastructure under one roof, with ambitions extending from Earth orbit to deep-space missions.
