Investing.com -- SpaceX has announced plans to build a sprawling new $100 billion launch site on the southern coast of Louisiana. Announced today alongside Governor Jeff Landry and state executives, the project marks the largest capital investment in Louisiana’s history.

The new facility provides SpaceX with a critical third hub—joining South Texas and Cape Canaveral, Florida—to expand operations of its behemoth Starship vehicle.

The Site and Infrastructure

Located across approximately 125,000 to 130,000 acres of coastal marshland near Pecan Island in Vermilion Parish, the private facility will dwarf SpaceX’s existing sites. It positions the company to achieve a launch cadence that no spaceport has ever been designed to sustain. According to the state’s announcement, the self-sustaining site will feature:

• Launch Facilities: Five distinct launch complexes, featuring two launchpads apiece.


• Logistics & Processing: Dedicated propellant production, power generation, and vehicle processing facilities.


• Transportation Integration: Deep-water shipping capabilities and a purpose-built airport.


• Employee Housing: Residential neighborhoods for SpaceX employees and their families.

Land Acquisition History

The massive tract of land became available following the dismissal of a long-running federal coastal damages lawsuit. The suit, filed by Vermilion Parish and the state of Louisiana against ExxonMobil, was recently dismissed by a federal judge.

This legal resolution cleared the way for the transfer of the property, which ExxonMobil has owned since the 1950s. While the precise terms of the transfer—whether a direct sale, long-term lease, or alternative arrangement—have not been made public, it provides SpaceX with a buffer zone unmatched by any developed coastline.

Timeline and Strategic Value

Construction is targeted to begin by the end of 2027, with the first Starship launch projected as early as 2029 and initial site operations commencing in 2030.

The Pecan Island location offers ideal launch geometry, allowing SpaceX to launch Starship southward over the Gulf of Mexico and over Earth’s polar regions. This trajectory is essential for SpaceX’s ambition to deploy a fleet of up to one million data-center satellites into near-polar orbits.

In the near term, Starship is slated to launch larger, upgraded Starlink satellites to boost internet capacity, fly orbital data centers as early as 2027, and land NASA astronauts on the lunar surface as early as 2028.