SpaceX To Build Second Spaceport In Louisiana That It Claims Could Launch Thousands Of Starship Rockets Per Year

SpaceX and the government of Louisiana have announced a deal to construct the largest spaceport in world history along the Gulf Coast. The space giant will spend "at least" $100 billion building a kind of all-in-one facility that includes five launch complexes with two launch pads each, its own propellant production, power generation, vehicle processing, employee housing, and an airport. SpaceX claims that it will eventually launch thousands of its Starship rockets every year from this site, which will become its main launch location. Construction starts next year, with the first rockets getting off the ground in 2029. Its name? Starbase. Yes, just like Starbase, Texas. Apparently this is a franchise now, like... well, Starbucks.

If that sounds like a lot, that's because it's a lot. How much of this will actually happen is certainly an open question. Presumably, SpaceX will try to build this in stages, so expect something like a single two-pad launch facility to come online first, and then future pads may or may not come down the line. As for thousands of launches per year, let's keep in mind that in 2025, all of humanity combined set a record of 320 launch attempts; SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket accounted for 165 of those. And the Starship rocket, which this spaceport is meant to support, is very much still in R&D. That's a pretty bullish growth outlook that SpaceX is pushing.

It should be mentioned that the site here is Pecan Island, a marshland about eight times larger than Manhattan at 125,000 acres, per NBC News. Seemingly aware of the inevitable environmental backlash, SpaceX has gone out of its way to tout how much this colossal project will help the coastline, actually. The company states that it will stop the erosion of the shoreline and support habitation of local wildlife. But it will also have to build up the area to be able to support the weight of the infrastructure, including all the new roads and power lines necessary to support the endeavor. Hopefully, active pressure from the public will make sure SpaceX follows through on its stewardship promises.

Over on the economic side of the fence, at least this insanely large project will generate good tax revenue for Vermilion Parish in Louisiana, right? Well, I have an exact figure for you: It's $0. The government of Louisiana cut a special deal with SpaceX to incentivize it to come there. The agreement is called a Payment in Lieu of Taxes, which means that while taxes don't apply to the rocket giant, it does pay in other ways. First of all, the parish gets $20 million from the company right now. Then, SpaceX will pay $25 million plus annual increases every year for 25 years. Finally, the company is going to make a $25 million donation to the Community Foundation of Acadiana. So, it's not getting to operate at the site for free, but that all sounds like pocket change compared to the $100 billion construction spend.

What does Louisiana get out of this? The state believes the spaceport will generate 3,000 new jobs over the next decade, plus another 8,100 "indirect" jobs (think of all the shops and restaurants that will pop up nearby). What it will also get are house-wrecking sonic booms from the launches, as the once-sleepy community near Starbase, Texas has already discovered. Will the new Starbase be bane or boon to the state? It depends on how much the environment (ground, water, and air) gets torn up or preserved, and how much those jobs materialize or not.

Keep in mind that all this hinges on Starship eventually becoming a real boy! The company's insane (though coming back down to Earth) stock valuation is dependent on Starships becoming operational, deploying Starlink V3 satellites (which no other rocket can do), launching as frequently as airplanes, taking astronauts to the Moon, and more. Starbase, Louisiana is yet another bet on that future. That is a lot riding on one big rocket. No pressure.