SpaceX Louisiana spaceport plan calls for up to $100 billion investment

SpaceX says its proposed SpaceX Louisiana spaceport could receive up to $100 billion in investment for a Starship launch campus in Vermilion Parish. For investors following the company’s push to expand launch capacity, the announcement sets out an ambitious buildout, but it is a plan rather than a finished facility and remains subject to regulatory approvals.

The project, called Starbase Louisiana, is planned near Pecan Island on about 125,000 acres of former Exxon land along the state’s southern coast, according to Reuters and CBS News. Louisiana Economic Development says it would be SpaceX’s largest launch facility and could support thousands of launches each year.

Starship is SpaceX’s reusable rocket system under development. The company wants more places to launch it as it expands satellite and other space missions. SpaceX already has launch activity in Texas, Florida and California, and Louisiana would add another site for Starship operations, Reuters reported.

What would SpaceX build at the Louisiana spaceport?

At full buildout, the state says the campus is expected to include five launch complexes, each with two pads, plus propellant storage and production, employee housing, vehicle-processing facilities, power generation and deep-water shipping capabilities. SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell also said the plan could include an airport, according to Reuters.

The project will need new electricity generation and transmission infrastructure. Louisiana Economic Development says SpaceX is expected to cover the cost of project-specific generation and grid upgrades, with regulators and utilities retaining their respective oversight roles.

The schedule has two milestones. Construction is expected to start by the end of 2027, according to the state. SpaceX has targeted a first Louisiana Starship launch in 2029, Reuters reported, while the state’s project page puts initial operations in 2030. Those dates are targets, not completed milestones.

What does the project promise for Louisiana?

Louisiana projects more than 3,000 direct new jobs over 10 years, roughly 8,100 indirect jobs and 34,516 construction jobs at peak building activity. It lists an average annual salary of $92,600 for the direct jobs. These are state projections rather than realized employment figures.

Under a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, or PILOT, local taxing bodies would receive $20 million upfront and at least $25 million annually for 25 years, according to Louisiana Economic Development. The state says its incentives are performance-based, meaning SpaceX must meet applicable investment, employment and other commitments before receiving them. The agreement also calls for a $25 million charitable donation to the Community Foundation of Acadiana.

What approvals and environmental questions remain?

The site is coastal marshland, and Louisiana says the proposal must undergo applicable environmental, wetlands, natural-resource and launch-related reviews. Federal, state and local agencies retain independent authority over the permits, the state says. It also says any unavoidable wetlands impacts must be fully mitigated.

SpaceX and state officials say they are pursuing coastal restoration, habitat protection and erosion-control work. Environmental advocates have urged a more transparent process. Anne Rolfes of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade told CBS News the project could permanently change a fragile coastline and called for public hearings. SpaceX has said it plans town halls and other community-engagement events in the coming months, CBS News reported.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.