SpaceX plans a $100 billion launch campus in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, with five launch complexes and 10 launch pads at full buildout.
Construction of Starbase, LA is expected to begin in 2027, with the first launch targeted as soon as 2029. The campus also will require power, propellant, processing and housing infrastructure.
The project is expected to create 3,000 direct jobs and 8,100 indirect jobs, potentially widening opportunities for Louisiana contractors, suppliers, and skilled trades.
SpaceX plans to build what Louisiana Economic Development describes as theworld’s largest spaceport, turning a former industrial property in Vermilion Parish into a launch campus designed to support thousands of missions annually.
The company announced the project Aug. 25, saying construction is expected to begin in 2027, and the first launch could occur as soon as 2029.
The scale of Starbase, LA, as SpaceX calls it, places the development among the largest proposed industrial and infrastructure programs in the U.S.
A screen capture from the SpaceX website shows the planned launch complexes in a rendering. The launch complexes are expected to have two launch pads each and its own propellant farm. The broader campus, which sites on over 1000,000 acres on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, also will include propellant production, power generation, vehicle processing, and housing for employees and their families. Image: SpaceX
The spaceport site is approximately 125,000 acres, which is "approximately 35,000 acres smaller than the combined footprint of Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center," according to private aerospace outlet nasaspaceflight.com.
The Louisiana Economic Development announcement says SpaceX expects to invest $100 billion and create 3,000 direct jobs over the next decade, with an average annual salary of $92,600. The agency estimates another 8,100 indirect jobs for contractors, vendors and other businesses across the state.
The announcement follows what Associate Economist Devin Bell noted in April about nonresidential construction trends in the Bayou state. Bell stated, "Louisiana’s nonresidential building market has undergone a reshaping in the past year, as major data center and industrial investment flowed into the state."
The massive investment from SpaceX continues the evolution of the nonresidential construction market in Louisiana on a grand scale.
At full buildout, the site is expected to include five launch complexes. The launch complexes are expected to have two launch pads each and its own propellant farm.
The broader campus also will include propellant production, power generation, vehicle processing, and housing for employees and their families.
SpaceX hopes to make Starship, its reuseable launch system, operational at scale. The effort is part of the larger goal of "transforming how humanity accesses space and supporting national priorities like building a base on the Moon and the eventual human exploration and settlement of Mars."
The megaproject (projects over $1 billion in total value) is likely to include site preparation, heavy civil work, industrial buildings, mechanical and electrical systems, process utilities, substations, storage, roads and housing.
The SpaceX site includes deep-water shipping capabilities to the project. While no details were provided, readying the deep-water port for the megaproject could add a host of possible construction opportunities from dredging and channel improvements to cargo-handling systems, and rail and road connections.
Deep-water shipping needs may create opportunities for marine, civil, structural and electrical contractors, along with engineers, equipment operators, welders, and logistics specialists.
The port’s ability to handle large vessels and oversized project cargo could also support specialized construction tied to manufacturing, energy, and other major developments.
The schedule will depend on infrastructure and regulatory work. Louisiana Economic Development said in its statement that new power generation and transmission infrastructure will be needed, while the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is evaluating road, bridge and traffic requirements, including potential improvements to Highway 82.
The site also will undergo environmental, wetlands, natural-resource and launch-related reviews. SpaceX is working with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to avoid, minimize or mitigate impacts to wetlands, wildlife, fisheries and habitat.
The infrastructure-heavy profile mirrors broader construction trends in the region according to ConstructConnect Economists Michael Guckes and Devin Bell.
in ConstructConnect’s August 2026 Data Center Report, the economists noted that "As developers seek sites with ample power and water resources, construction activity is moving toward the South and Midwest, regions that also align with the nation's natural gas pipeline infrastructure."
Planned US Data Center construction starts value by US Census Region is shown on a map from July to December 2026. These projects are still in the preconstruction phase and are not guaranteed to break ground. Image and Data: ConstructConnect
The announcement adds another megaproject to a state market benefiting from industrial, energy and data center investment. ConstructConnect previously reported that Louisiana’s 2026 Nonresidential Building starts were forecast to rise 26.9% year over year even when data centers were excluded, with gains expected across most building sectors.
Recent ConstructConnect News coverage of the Meta data center expansion in Richland Parish, SpaceX and Tesla’s Texas Terafab plan, and Louisiana’s broader construction market offers additional context on infrastructure demands, workforce competition, and the scale of investment now moving through the region.
SpaceX is an U.S. aerospace manufacturer and provider of space transportation, telecommunications, and artificial intelligence services. Its Starbase launch and testing complex is in Starbase, Texas (Cameron County).
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