SpaceX announced the construction of a new launch site called Starbase on the southern coast of Louisiana, with an estimated investment of $100 billion. The project will give the company a third potential site to launch its Starship rocket.
The facility will occupy 125,000 acres, equivalent to 195 square miles, in the Pecan Island area. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and company executives jointly presented the plan.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, stated: “We're preparing to build a spaceport that, until now, has only existed in science fiction.” He added that the company was founded for humans to explore among the stars and that this will only be possible when traveling to space is as routine as taking a plane. According to him, Starbase Louisiana will unlock that future.
According to the details released by SpaceX, the complex will include five launch areas, each with two platforms. It will also include a propellant production plant, power generation, vehicle processing, and residential housing for employees and their families.
Capacity for thousands of annual missions
The site is designed to support thousands of Starship flights per year, with destinations ranging from low Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. One of the key advantages of the site is the ability to launch southward, towards polar regions.
This trajectory is ideal for placing “Starmind” data center satellites in convenient orbital positions. SpaceX aims to saturate the sky with this type of orbital infrastructure, and Starbase Louisiana will be a central piece of that plan.
The proximity to natural gas deposits in the area is also strategic: this resource is needed to manufacture the methane fuel used by Starship. The company plans to leverage this local availability to supply operations.
The announcement comes shortly after SpaceX's massive public offering and its decision to build a “Terafab” chip factory in Texas. These processors will power the SpaceXAI division, another link in the vision of artificial intelligence data centers in orbit.
Land origin and timelines
The Pecan Island property previously belonged to ExxonMobil. The company returned it to the state as part of a settlement over lawsuits accusing it of contributing to coastal land loss. In the agreement with Louisiana, SpaceX committed to extensive restoration work in the area, including marsh preservation, wildlife protection, and storm defenses.
Despite the scale of the venture, the projected timelines are relatively short. Production at the site will begin in 2027, and the first launch is scheduled for 2029. The project combines technological ambition with an explicit commitment to environmental recovery of the coastal area.
With this potential third base, SpaceX strengthens its launch capacity and moves towards a scenario where frequent Starship missions cease to be an exception. The new Starbase in Louisiana is presented as the link that will make that space routine a practical reality.
The combination of geographic location, access to energy resources, and industrial scale positions the site as a central element in the company's roadmap. If the announced timelines are met, by the end of the decade, the Louisiana coast could become one of the most active launch points on the planet.
