SpaceX announces $100 billion Starbase project in Vermilion Parish

ABBEVILLE, La. — SpaceX and Louisiana officials announced a $100 billion project to construct a major spaceport in Vermilion Parish that aims to host high-frequency rocket launches and support thousands of local jobs.

The facility, dubbed Starbase Louisiana, will be situated on a 125,000-acre site near Pecan Island and Freshwater City in the coastal marshes of southern Louisiana. The clean-sheet design features plans for a self-sustaining spaceport complete with its own propellant production, power generation, deepwater shipping access, vehicle processing facilities, and an airport.

The site will focus on launching the fully reusable Starship rocket for high-cadence missions, including deploying next-generation Starlink satellites and supporting NASA's lunar exploration programs. Operations will leverage the state's abundant natural gas supplies to fuel the vehicles, alongside local workforce capabilities in heavy industry.

SpaceX expects to generate between 3,000 and 10,000 permanent jobs, with plans to hire 60% to 80% of its workforce from the local community. Key roles will center on skilled craft work, such as technicians, welders, and builders, alongside operational support staff.

As part of the project, SpaceX is partnering with state and federal agencies on coastal restoration initiatives. Efforts will target shoreline erosion in Vermilion Parish by creating thousands of acres of marshland to act as natural storm buffers. Only a fraction of the total land acreage will be developed for launch operations, leaving the remaining area preserved for wildlife habitat and traditional public recreational uses like hunting and fishing.