Musk plans $100 billion SpaceX launch site in coastal Louisiana

ABBEVILLE — Following months of rumors, SpaceX confirmed Tuesday that it’s building a $100 billion self-sustaining spaceport in Vermilion Parish, marking what state officials say is the largest capital investment in Louisiana history.

SpaceX plans to construct what it’s calling Starbase Louisiana near the small rural community of Pecan Island, about 50 miles south-southwest of Lafayette. 

“We’re here to build something that will open a pathway to the stars for today’s future generations,” SpaceX chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell said to a room full of politicians, business leaders and reporters who gathered for a highly produced event with live music and catered food to mark the much anticipated announcement.

Starbase Louisiana will feature 10 launchpads, fuel production facilities, a power plant, deep-water shipping port, employee housing and an airport — all to allow the base to be “self-sustaining” and not reliant on outside facilities for many of its critical services.

Shotwell likened the project to a small city with at least 3,000 residents and as many as 10,000 permanent jobs, of which she said local residents will fill 60% to 80%.

SpaceX will pay local taxing authorities a collective $25 million annually instead of remitting property taxes as well as a $20 million upfront payment. The company, owned by the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, is also expected to benefit from other state tax incentives, according to Louisiana Economic Development.

SpaceX has promised to fund coastal and wildlife habitat restoration in the Acadiana region. Shotwell said these efforts would begin immediately but didn’t elaborate on the plans. At a later news conference, Gov. Jeff Landry said SpaceX is going to directly fund some of the projects in Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan. 

“This is the first time we can marry an economic development project that creates thousands of jobs with coastal restoration and hurricane protection,” Landry said.

The project has been sited on 125,000 acres of coastal marshland nestled between two state wildlife refuges, though the area dedicated to rocket launch facilities is a smaller portion of about 40,000 acres. 

Shotwell said it will not have a significant impact on wildlife.

“Now the birds might fly away during a launch, but I guarantee they come back,” she said. “As soon as the rocket’s gone, they come back.”

Louisiana will be home to the largest Starbase site, joining SpaceX facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida; Lompoc, California; and near Brownsville, Texas.

Libby Smith Nehrbass of Lafayette attended the SpaceX event with her husband, holding up a small protest sign that read, “Paradise Lost.” She said they own a hunting and fishing camp in Pecan Island and are worried activity at the spaceport will ruin the area with air, light and noise pollution.

“You can’t tell me that birds coexist with rockets,” Nehrbass said. “And why all the secrecy? Why all the laws that take away our rights? It’s just unconscionable. It’s not right.”

Nehrbass was referring to state officials’ widespread use of non-disclosure agreements to engage in negotiations for the SpaceX project and other major economic development undertakings. The aerospace company could also benefit from state legislation approved earlier this year that gives the industry legal immunity from certain lawsuits filed by Louisiana residents.

Others in the community expressed excitement and optimism about the project. 

Abbeville resident Carrie Simon, who runs a nonprofit for abused and neglected children, was at a local Starbucks coffee shop when she heard the SpaceX announcement. She said she’s happy to hear the company has agreed to fund coastal restoration and believes the project will have positive effects across other sectors.

“A lot of businesses aren’t flourishing or aren’t where they need to be,” Simon said. “I know so many people right now looking for work…It can be a ripple effect of growth.”

SpaceX, a once failing startup, is now the world’s most advanced aerospace company, having developed the reusable rockets that now ferry NASA astronauts and deploy satellites into orbit ahead of Musk’s ultimate goal of interplanetary travel. Its sister company, Starlink, has similarly dominated the global satellite and rural broadband market, operating the majority of all maneuverable satellites in earth’s orbit.

SpaceX has promised all Vermilion Parish residents steep discounts on Starlink internet service. 

Simon acknowledged that Musk is a divisive political figure to some but pointed out that he has the means and resources to bring many new opportunities to Vermillion Parish.

“I tell you what if he doesn’t keep his word, it’s not good to make Cajuns angry,” Simon said, jokingly.

Construction on Starbase Louisiana is expected to begin in 2027 with the first rocket launches to take place in 2029.