SpaceX to begin $100bn Starbase Louisiana launch complex construction in 2025
SpaceX announced plans to build a 125,000-acre launch facility in Louisiana, aiming for its first Starship flight from the site in 2029 and projecting thousands of jobs.
SpaceX said it will start building a $100 billion launch complex on a 125,000-acre site in southern Louisiana next year. The facility, named Starbase, Louisiana, is intended to support thousands of Starship flights annually to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. The company targets its first Starship launch from the new base in 2029.
The project is expected to create more than 3,000 direct jobs, with the Louisiana Economic Development agency estimating an additional 8,100 indirect positions. It noted that average wages at the site would be roughly double the regional average.
Officials described the development as positioning Louisiana as a global hub for next-generation aerospace, increasing launch frequency and expanding access to space. The site will join SpaceX's existing facilities in Texas and Florida.
SpaceX, which began trading on Nasdaq in June, continues to pursue broader ambitions, including Mars missions, artificial-intelligence initiatives and a separate AI-chip manufacturing complex in Texas.