In brief
Elon Musk’s company SpaceX will construct a vast launch site dubbed Starbase Louisiana, costing $100bn and covering 125,000 acres. The new base will handle thousands of Starship missions to Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars, with a first launch slated for 2029. It promises more than 3,000 direct jobs, 8,100 indirect roles, and wages 192% above the regional average, putting Louisiana on the map as a leading aerospace hub. The move follows SpaceX’s 2026 IPO and its broader ambition to launch AI chip production and other advanced technologies.
SpaceX will build its largest launch site yet in Louisiana, a $100bn ($73bn) investment named Starbase Louisiana that covers 125,000 acres.
Construction is slated to begin next year, expanding company operations beyond its existing Texas headquarters and Florida launch sites.
The facility will support thousands of Starship flights a year to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond, with the first launch from the new base planned for 2029.
SpaceX’s share trade began on New York’s Nasdaq in what was the world’s biggest ever IPO, setting the stage for further expansion.
The project will add over 3,000 direct jobs, according to the company, and the Louisiana Economic Development agency estimates wages at the base will be 192% higher than the state’s current average. The project also promises more than 8,100 indirect jobs.
“The historic project will establish Louisiana as a global hub for next‑generation aerospace, with the capacity and infrastructure needed to dramatically increase launch frequency and expand access to space,” the agency said.
The new site shares its name with another SpaceX site at the southern tip of Texas.
In 2025, residents in Cameron County, where the company already has testing and development operations, approved incorporating the patch of land as a city called Starbase.
Elon Musk has also announced plans to develop AI models and launch data centres into space. In August, SpaceX and Tesla announced a $16.8bn AI chip‑making facility called Terafab in Texas, aimed at meeting growing demand for computing power for future AI and robotics projects.
The newly listed SpaceX shares have fallen more than 30% from their early highs, though they remain above the $135 offer price and remain under pressure to show profitability as the company expands.
