SpaceX to Build $100B Star Base Louisiana for Mars, Moon, and Deep-Space

SpaceX, the U.S. aerospace company owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, has announced plans to build its largest private space launch facility in Louisiana. The site, named Star Base, Louisiana, is intended to support missions to the Moon, Mars, and destinations beyond.

Construction of the $100 billion project is scheduled to begin next year. Spanning 125,000 acres, the facility will expand SpaceX’s operational footprint beyond its existing headquarters in Texas and launch sites in Florida.

The company stated on Tuesday that the new location “will support thousands of Starship flights annually, with missions launching to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.” SpaceX aims to conduct its first Starship launch from the Louisiana base in 2029.

In June—last month—the company launched its initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange, a technology-focused market. Described as the largest IPO in global stock market history, the listing marked SpaceX’s formal entry into public equity markets.

The Louisiana Economic Development agency reported that average wages for workers at the facility—the largest of its kind worldwide—will exceed current regional wage levels by 192 percent. The project is projected to generate more than 3,000 direct jobs and over 8,100 indirect jobs in the state.

In a statement, the agency said: “This historic project will position Louisiana as a global hub for the next generation of aerospace and aviation industries, equipped with the capacity and infrastructure to significantly increase launch tempo and expand access to space.”

The Louisiana facility shares its name with SpaceX’s existing Star Base site located at the southern tip of Texas.

In 2025, SpaceX secured local approval from residents of Cameron Parish—a region where the company conducts testing and development work—to incorporate the land into a newly chartered municipality named Starbase.

Musk has set ambitious goals for SpaceX, including human missions to Mars, artificial intelligence development, and deployment of orbital data centers.

In August, SpaceX and Tesla—Musk’s electric vehicle and robotics company—announced joint plans to construct a $16.8 billion artificial intelligence chip manufacturing complex in Texas, to be named TerraFab. The facility is intended to meet growing corporate demand for computing power to advance AI and robotics initiatives in the coming years.

The announcement comes amid investor pressure on SpaceX to demonstrate a viable path to profitability while pursuing aggressive expansion objectives.

Since its market debut, SpaceX’s stock has declined more than 30 percent from its post-listing peak. However, it remains above its initial offering price of $135 per share.