SpaceX plans vast Louisiana spaceport with 10,000-launch goal

SpaceX plans to build what it describes as a new large-scale launch complex on Louisiana’s coast, under an agreement with the state involving a proposed $100 billion investment, according to New Atlas. The facility, called Louisiana Starbase, would occupy approximately 125,000 to 130,000 acres near Pecan Island in Vermilion Parish. SpaceX intends to develop the site as an integrated industrial complex for expanding operations involving its Starship vehicle. Plans described in the report include 10 Starship launch pads, a vehicle-processing facility, deep-water shipping ports and a dedicated airport. The site would also have power-generation plants and an onsite natural-gas processing facility designed to convert local gas into liquid methane fuel. New Atlas reported that the complex is intended to operate with fewer of the restrictions SpaceX faces at its existing facilities in Cape Canaveral and Texas. If development proceeds as planned, the Louisiana site could be operational around 2029. Combined with existing facilities, SpaceX estimates it could then have 15 operational launchpads capable of supporting more than 1,000 missions annually. The company’s longer-term target is considerably larger: more than 10,000 launches each year, with Starship eventually replacing Falcon 9 as SpaceX’s primary launch system. The report described the proposed rockets as capable of carrying 100 tonnes of cargo. The plans come as SpaceX points to recent progress with its launch vehicles. New Atlas reported that a recent Starship flight ended with the vehicle making its first soft landing in the Indian Ocean. The vehicle reportedly remained intact and floated on the water, prompting a salvage effort to tow it to Christmas Island for examination. Separately, a Falcon 9 mission used a booster that had previously flown 37 times, exceeding the company’s earlier estimate that such boosters might be usable for 10 flights. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said the Louisiana project was intended to make space travel more routine. The proposed scale of the facility, however, remains a future target: the reported agreement sets out an ambitious development plan, while the projected launch totals depend on the site being completed and Starship operations expanding as intended.