--- title: "Elon Musk to build $100bn Louisiana rocket base" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/297016592.md" description: "SpaceX plans to build a $100bn launch complex on Pecan Island, Louisiana, aiming for first launches in 2029. The facility will support thousands of Starship missions annually and create over 3,000 direct jobs. While Governor Jeff Landry highlights economic benefits and coastal protection, local residents express concern over lack of consultation and environmental impact." datetime: "2026-08-26T09:20:16.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/297016592.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297016592.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/297016592.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # Elon Musk to build $100bn Louisiana rocket base Elon Musk’s SpaceX is to build a $100bn (£73bn) launch complex in Louisiana as the company races to expand its capacity for Starship rocket missions. The 125,000-acre site at Pecan Island, a remote area of coastal marshland, will become the company’s largest launch facility with construction set to begin next year and the first launch planned for 2029. Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president, said the facility would eventually support thousands of Starship flights each year, carrying missions to Earth’s orbit, the Moon and Mars. The site will be built as a “self-sustaining” spaceport with its own fuel production, power generation, vehicle processing facilities and deep-water shipping capabilities. An airport is also expected to be built. The announcement came just weeks after SpaceX went public with a $1.8tn valuation in the largest stock market debut in history. SpaceX said the project would create more than 3,000 jobs in the region, while Louisiana Economic Development estimated it could generate a further 8,100 jobs indirectly. Jeff Landry, the governor of Louisiana, hailed the project as an “inflection point” for the state, saying it would combine economic development with efforts to protect the region’s vulnerable coastline. The project is more than eight times the size of Manhattan and will expand SpaceX’s launch operations beyond its primary Starbase facility in southern Texas, as well as existing sites in Florida and California. The announcement was met with unease from some residents of Pecan Island, a small community of fishermen, crabbers and hunters. Jerry Lege, a lifelong Pecan Island resident, told local broadcaster KPLC: “I would have never dreamed in a hundred years they’d be launching rockets from Pecan Island. Come on. You’d have told me that a year ago, I’d say, you’re crazy.” Melicia Broussard, another resident, said: “We had no say in it. No warning. The hush-hush was horrible.” The concerns echo opposition that has surrounded SpaceX’s existing Starbase operation in Boca Chica, Texas, where residents have complained about noise, environmental damage and disruption. Mr Landry has sought to reassure locals, arguing that the development will bring permanent employment to an area that has struggled to retain young people. SpaceX, meanwhile, said its project would protect the Louisiana shoreline from coastal erosion and retain areas of wetland that serve as a habitat for waterfowl. Susan Bourgeois, Louisiana’s economic development secretary, said the area would receive about $850m across 25 years through payments linked to the project. SpaceX is expanding aggressively as it seeks to turn its 400ft Starship rocket into the backbone of its launch operations with the aim of launching a network of in-space data centres. ### Related Stocks - [SPCX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCX.US.md) - [SPCH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCH.US.md) - [SPCF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCF.US.md) - [SPAL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPAL.US.md) - [SNK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SNK.US.md) - [SSPC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SSPC.US.md) - [SPCU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCU.US.md) - [LOFF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LOFF.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Louisiana governor 'not concerned' about environmental impact of Gulf Coast SpaceX facility](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297083498.md) - [SpaceX and a new Trump order that could rewrite the next decade of launches](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296670980.md) - [Trump bought shares in Elon Musk's SpaceX in June, financial disclosure shows](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296815446.md) - [Bernstein Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on SpaceX (SPCX)](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296602218.md) - [Elon Musk Denies SpaceX Sought to Buy AI Startup Cognition, Says Talks Only Centered on Grok](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296478283.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**