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SpaceX picks Louisiana site for second $100B Starship spaceport
SpaceX will build a second spaceport for its Starship mega-rocket on a former Exxon property in Louisiana, with construction set to start in 2027 and the first launch possible as early as 2029.
The new launch site is located in Vermilion Parish along the Gulf Coast, west of New Orleans and roughly 10 hours from SpaceX’s existing Starbase complex in South Texas. The company said the location ends a seven-year search for a suitable site.
SpaceX plans to invest $100 billion in the project, with construction beginning in 2027. The company said a Starship rocket could take flight from the Louisiana facility as soon as 2029, though Louisiana Economic Development (LED) offers a more conservative timeline, predicting construction will start by the end of 2027 with initial operations coming online in 2030.
Before the new spaceport becomes operational, SpaceX still needs to prove Starship can reach low-Earth orbit and be fully reusable, like its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The company has completed 13 test flights of Starship since 2023, achieving many development milestones but still facing significant work.
An upcoming 14th test flight could see Starship’s upper stage reach orbit for the first time. However, SpaceX has yet to return both the booster and the upper stage to the launch pad on a single flight, a key requirement for true reusability.