The decision brings to an end a seven-year search for a suitable location for the new facility. The site will be located about a 10-hour drive from SpaceX’s existing Starbase facility in Texas.
The new spaceport will be built along the coast and is expected to operate as a largely self-sufficient complex. Plans include a private airport, power generation facilities and other infrastructure needed to support large-scale space operations.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027 and could require up to 30,000 workers during the peak construction period.
Once completed, the facility is expected to create around 3,000 permanent jobs over the following decade, with an average annual salary of about $92,600.
SpaceX said it expects the first Starship launch from the new Louisiana facility to take place in 2029, although state officials anticipate that full operations could begin in 2030.
The project is expected to play a major role in SpaceX’s long-term plans for Starship. The company has already invested more than $8 billion in developing the spacecraft and plans to gradually phase out some of its older launch systems as Starship becomes operational on a larger scale.
Starship is SpaceX’s largest and most powerful spacecraft system and is designed to support missions ranging from satellite launches to deep-space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and Mars.
SpaceX said the new facility will also take lessons from challenges experienced at its Texas operations, where concerns have been raised over workplace injuries and environmental damage.
To address these concerns, the company is working closely with Louisiana state agencies at an early stage of the project. The plans include measures aimed at protecting forests and wildlife habitats around the proposed site.
The company also plans to construct special coastal barriers designed to reduce the impact of water and prevent erosion along the shoreline surrounding the facility.
If completed as planned, the Louisiana spaceport would become a major part of SpaceX’s expanding launch infrastructure and could strengthen the company’s capacity to conduct frequent Starship missions as it pursues its ambitions for large-scale space exploration.
