SpaceX to build $100M launch facility in Louisiana

Aug. 26 (UPI) — Elon Musk and SpaceX will build a $100 million launch facility on the coast of Louisiana, the company announced along with the state economic development office.

In a joint statement, the state office said Tuesday that SpaceX will build its Starbase in Vermillion Parish, La., at a property that was formerly owned by Exxon. The facility will “support thousands of launches annually,” the press release said.

SpaceX stock rose about 2% to close at $137.95, CNBC reported.

Vermilion Parish will become the company’s fourth and largest launch site, “playing a key role in ramping up Starship missions,” the release said.

The site is expected to include five launch complexes, each with two launch pads and a propellant farm. The development will also include a propellant production facility, power generation, vehicle processing and residential housing for employees and their families.

The new facility will be the main launch facility for Starship, the company’s rocket that is now in development to become the largest rocket designed to be fully reusable.

Musk said in a video that the launch facility will bring “probably 10,000 really exciting jobs” to Louisiana.

An online fact sheet posted by the state said the facility will bring 3,000 new jobs in the next 10 years, about 8,100 indirect new jobs, all with the average annual salary of $92,600.

“We have the people, the ingenuity and the work ethic to build things the rest of the world once thought impossible,” Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement. “I want to thank SpaceX for believing in Louisiana and choosing our state to help build the future of American spaceflight.”

“We’re preparing to build a spaceport that, until now, has only existed in science fiction,” Musk said in a statement. “SpaceX was founded to bring about a future where humans are out exploring amongst the stars, which will only be possible when we make going to space as routine as flying on an airplane. Starbase, Louisiana will unlock that future.”

SpaceX also said it would work on a “historic coastal restoration.” It will work with the state to “bring the marsh back” and ensure the wetlands around its new facility will have “storm protection.” That region of coastal Louisiana has several state parks and wildlife refuges.

Louisiana p***ed several bills earlier this year making the state more attractive to aerospace projects. One exempted them from public review, and another made unauthorized entry to a spaceport a felony. The state also offered financial incentives to aerospace manufacturers.

SpaceX’s Starbase, Texas, facility has been found to violate the Clean Water Act for dumping pollutants into nearby bodies of water. It also caused damage to migration sites for endangered species, and caused a fire that burned a portion of Boca Chica State Park land.