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6h ago

SpaceX Announces $100 Billion Starbase Louisiana on 125,000 Acres

The deal commits at least $100 billion to a self-sustaining Starship complex, triggering federal permitting and local review before construction begins.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell speaks during a Tuesday event announcing a deal to build a new SpaceX spaceport in Louisiana. 
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks during an event with SpaceX announcing a deal to build a new spaceport in his state, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Abbeville, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell, left, speaks with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, center, and Sec. of Louisiana Economic Development Susan Bonnett Bourgeois during an event with SpaceX announcing a deal to build a new spaceport in Louisiana, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Abbeville, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Overview

  • SpaceX and Louisiana officials announced the plan on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, to build Starbase Louisiana on roughly 125,000 acres near Pecan Island with construction slated to start in 2027 and the first Starship launch targeted for 2029.
  • The company pledged at least $100 billion and said the site will create more than 3,000 direct jobs while planning a campus with on-site propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping, vehicle processing and an airport.
  • Design plans call for five launch complexes with two Starship towers each (10 initial pads) built to support thousands of launches a year and a long-term ambition that Musk has described as more than 30 Starship flights per day.
  • Louisiana lawmakers passed new aerospace incentives and liability rules that SpaceX is expected to use, and the company agreed to local fiscal terms including a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deal that provides $25 million annually for 25 years plus a $20 million upfront payment and a $25 million charitable contribution.
  • The site sits on fragile, fast-eroding marshland formerly owned by Exxon, and the project faces federal FAA licensing, environmental reviews or possible waivers, community town halls and likely legal and advocacy challenges that could delay or reshape construction and operations.